A Goddess comes to Call
by shanejayell
Summary: Now Completed! Bubblegum Crisis meets Oh My Goddess: Linna dials a wrong number, and...
1. Chapter One

Tokyo, early 1990's  
  
Keichii looked at the goddess, then said "I wish for..." he stopped a moment, thoughtfully, then finished "the girl who would be perfect for me!"  
  
Belldandy felt strange, as if things weren't going the way they should have, somehow, but the wish had been made. Light and energy swirlded about, and then she smiled at him cheerfully. "You should probably answer the door." Belldandy suggested.  
  
Before he could say anything, a soft knock was heard. Belldandy gave him a gentle push, and he stumbled over to the door. Looking back a moment, he saw Belldandy had disapeared. He opened the door, and gazed in shock at the beautiful young woman standing there in the hall.  
  
She looked equally surprised, "Hi, I'm Chihiro Fujimi. I was looking for Tamiya, have you seen him?" Keichii nodded, and saw her hands, the slight cuts and bit of grease that showed she was into machinery, just like him. He noticed she was looking at his hands as well. They each saw the other looking, and laughed softly.  
  
"My name's Keichii Morisato," he said blushing. Chihiro smiled at him, and he continued "I'm watching the place for him. Do you want to come in and wait?"  
  
"I'd love to," Chihiro said happily to the young man. She followed him into the room and shut the door behind them with a loud click.  
  
  
  
Tokyo, the 2040's  
  
Click, the door opened, and Linna stumbled into the room, looking very tired. She growled angrily, kicking at a cushion Priss had left lying on the living room floor. It had been a shitty day, and she had come home to find the place was a pigsty! Linna knew that Priss would clean it up eventually, but still! She walked into the kitchen and looked around, finally opening the refrigerator to look for leftovers. 'There's no way I feel like cooking dinner tonight,' Linna thought tiredly, and picked up the phone. She quickly dialed the local pizza parlor from memory, but felt her finger slip as she hit the last number.  
  
The phone connected, and Linna heard a cheerful voice say " Hello! You've reached the Goddess technical help line. A goddess will be dispatched momentarily to fulfill your request." Linna stared down at the phone, frowning.  
  
"That was an odd wrong number," Linna murmured. She looked over at the hallway mirror and cried out in surprise, "Aaahhh!" The long hared young woman waved at her cheerfully as she climbed out of the mirror!  
  
"Good Evening! What is your desire?" she asked Linna pleasantly as she stepped down to the ground, her long robes flowing around her.  
  
"W... Wh.. Who are you?" a shocked Linna managed to ask her. The woman looked at her, blushing.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot." She bowed deeply. " My name is Belldandy," she said, and reaching into her robe, 'my card." She passed it over.  
  
"I'm Linna," she answered. 'A goddess with a business card?' Linna thought, looking it over. It simply said her name, that she was a goddess first class, whatever that means, and was edged with roman style decoration.  
  
"We specialize in helping people with problems, by granting you a wish," Belldandy happily explained. "However, you only get one wish. Money? Power? We can do that. If you want to destroy the world, we can do that too. Of course, we prefer to avoid doing business with that sort of customer." she finished, smiling sweetly at Linna.  
  
"And you're here to grant me a wish?" Linna asked her doubtfully. 'I wonder if Sylia or Priss could have sent her over as a joke?' Linna wondered.  
  
"Oh course," Belldandy said smiling, "anything you wish, and it will be granted. And it's no joke," she added.  
  
Linna looked at her in shock. "Could I have some time to think about it?" Linna asked weakly.  
  
"Certainly," Belldandy answered.  
  
Linna walked on shaky legs over to a nearby chair and flopped down heavily. 'An insane boomer, it's got to be,' Linna thought. Then she sighed, 'Since when do boomers climb out of mirrors. though?' Linna shook her head. Watching her absentmindedly, she saw Belldandy get up and begin cleaning the living room. Belldandy quickly picked up all the garbage, tidied up the furniture, and then gently swept the floor. In moments, the living room looked better than when Linna had left it.  
  
"Wow," Linna commented, "thank you." Belldandy turned to her and smiled sunnily. "I wish I had a goddess like you around all the time," Linna finished jokingly.  
  
Belldandy suddenly stopped in place, began to glow brightly, and the air in the room itself began to move. "No, wait!" Linna yelled to her, as she realized what she had said. "I didn't mean it!" Belldandy flared bright as the sun as winds ripped around the room, and a massive bolt of energy burst from her body, passed harmlessly through the roof and up into sky suddenly dark with clouds. Strobe like flares of lightning arched between the building and the clouds as the evening sky lit up.  
  
Outside, Priss climbed off her bike just as the fireworks started to get really intense. "Holy shit, that's our apartment!" Priss yelled. She charged inside the building, tucking her helmet under her arm as she hit the speed dial on her portable phone. "Sylia! Weird shit's happening over at my and Linna's place! Armor up and get over here!"  
  
Meanwhile, Belldandy's all-over glow slowly faded, she swayed in place a moment, then swooned. Linna rushed over and gently caught her before she hit the floor. "Are you all right?" Linna asked frantically.  
  
"Yes, or at least, I will be. You did not intend to wish?" Belldandy weakly asked Linna. She  
  
shook her head no. "Help me over to the phone," Belldandy said with a sigh.  
  
Her fingers moved like a blur on the telephone's buttons, then she began to speak; "This is goddess first class Belldandy. Oh, It's you, Peorth."she said warmly. Belldandy continued business-like, "Can you confirm a wish retrieval from Earth sector, Asia region, Japan? Uh huh. It was a false alarm. It has already been input? Are you sure? All right, understood, thank you for your time." Belldandy hung up the phone, an odd expression on her face.  
  
"What did they say?" Linna asked.  
  
"The wish has already been input into the system. As of now, I must stay with you under the terms of the wish." Belldandy said, shrugging.  
  
"But you're a goddess, you said!" Linna looked a bit white around the eyes as she protested, "Why can't you just magic you way out of it?"  
  
"Goddesses are primarily conduits for a higher power. I have some abilities, but they would be nothing compared to the powers tied into the wish." Belldandy said with a sigh. "The system force, one of the governing powers of the universe, will now work to fulfill the wish. It seems we're stuck together."  
  
Just then, the front door slammed open, and Priss charged in! "All right, what's going on?" Priss roared. She looked around the room, that now looked like a disaster area. "It looks messier than when I left," Priss said, sounding awed.  
  
Linna groaned and put her head in her hands. "Sit down Priss, and meet Belldandy. Boy do I have a story to tell," Linna said, and sighed loudly. 


	2. Chapter Two

Bubblegum Crisis/ Oh My Goddess: A Goddess comes to call  
  
Part two: New arrivals.  
  
Priss looked over at Linna disbelievingly. Speaking slowly, she asked "You mean to tell me you wished for her to stay with you forever?!" She began to laugh loudly.  
  
Linna sighed, Belldandy sitting by her side. "I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused," Belldandy said softly.  
  
Linna smiled over at her. "Not your fault I didn't think about what I said. We'll just have to cope, I guess," Linna said.  
  
"What about your work? And our... part time job?" Priss asked pointedly. Linna looked at her a moment, stunned.  
  
"Oh, hell," Linna whispered. Suddenly, the apartment window exploded inward as the White Knight Saber burst in, swords extended and ready for battle. She looked around, assessing the situation, and focused on Belldandy.  
  
Belldandy stepped in front of Linna and Priss, her hands glowing with power as she deflected any flying glass. "Linna is under my protection! Leave or suffer the consequences!" Belldandy said forcefully to the armored intruder.  
  
"Wait," Linna yelled, grabbing Belldandy's arm, "she's a friend!"  
  
"Oh, all right," Belldandy said, relaxing.  
  
The White Knight Saber looked at them a moment, then asked "What, exactly, is going on here?" Linna sighed, and explained it all, again.  
  
A soft giggle came from the armored figure, and Linna sweatdropped. Linna hadn't heard her do that terribly often. The White Knight Saber left, back the way it came without saying anything else. Priss sat there smirking at Linna, while Belldandy gave her those large, doe like eyes.  
  
Before anyone could say anything else, a soft knock came on the apartment door. Priss got up, walked over and answered it. A tall, exotic young woman stood there, her long, white hair reaching to her waist and offset by her very nice all over tan. Her dress hugged her body, showcasing her every curve. "Hi," she said, giving Priss an admiring glance, "is Belldandy here?"  
  
"Urd!" Belldandy said happily, jumping to her feet and going over to give her half-sister a hug. "What are you doing here?" she asked eagerly.  
  
"Just checking up on my little sister," Urd answered with a smile. "I heard about the wish, and I wanted to meet her," Urd said, looking at Priss speculatively. "If you wanted a goddess with you," she said to Priss seductively, "I'd be willing to volunteer." She smiled widely at Priss, "Urd, Goddess, Second class at your... service."  
  
Priss sweatdropped. "Uh, Priss. And it wasn't me," she said, and pointed over at Linna, "it was her."  
  
"Darn," Urd said with a charming smile. From the doorway, they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning, they saw Sylia, standing in the doorway in one of her best power suits.  
  
Sylia looked around the wrecked living room, and out the broken window admiringly, "Looks like you had quite the party. Why wasn't I invited?"  
  
"You're the woman in the armor," Belldandy said, surprised.  
  
"You must be mistaken," Sylia said coolly.  
  
"But," Belldandy started, only to stop when Linna gave her a look. "All right," she conceded, and smiled at Sylia. "I'm Belldandy, and this is my sister, Urd." They sweatdropped a bit, when they saw that Urd had driven Priss into a corner and was trying to feel her up.  
  
"Urd!" Belldandy said in a scolding tone. "Stop that!"  
  
Urd stuck her tongue out at Belldandy, but backed off.  
  
"So," Priss asked, while trying to tidy her clothes, "what do we do now, Sylia?"  
  
"Where did she come from?" Sylia asked, looking at Belldandy. Linna repeated the story she told Priss, and Sylia looked intrigued. She walked over, and took the mirror off the wall, examining it and the wall behind it. "You're certain," Sylia pressed, looking at Linna, "that she came out of the mirror?"  
  
Linna nodded, and Sylia frowned. Belldandy looked on in confusion, and growing upset asked "You do not believe we're goddesses?"  
  
"I'll prove it!" Urd declared angrily. Before anyone could stop her, she raised her hand to the sky and yelled, "Urd Bolts, Strike!" Pinpoint lightning strikes blew out lamp posts and any other expendable object all around the building.  
  
Priss, Sylia and Linna looked on with no little awe. "Did that prove it to you?" Urd asked proudly.  
  
Linna didn't answer, just sat down, put her head into her hands and groaned. Belldandy walked over, sat down beside her and gently patted her on the shoulder. 


	3. Interlude the First

Interlude the First  
  
Beneath Genom's Tokyo branch, several levels underground. Down a darkened hallway to a closed door, then through it. Several people sit on a elevated level, and stare down at a young man standing there before them.  
  
'A bit over the top,' he thought, trying to hide a smile, 'but I suppose it's effective.' He stood under their gaze, and tried his best not to fidget. It wasn't easy.  
  
He struggled silently with his nervousness as he waited to hear their verdict on his project. Finally, after consulting the piles of paperwork and a softly whispered consultation, the head of the committee decided to speak.  
  
"I simply fail to see any grounds for forming this division, Mr. Jacobson," she said to him with a fierce frown of displeasure. She waved the folder around, saying scornfully, "A Paranormal Research Department?"  
  
Another board member shook his head mournfully, adding "I just don't see how chasing ghosts and youma will be of any help to achieving Genom's objectives."  
  
"We wont just be chasing ghosts," Jacobson answered him, keeping his voice as calm as he could, "instead we'll be investigating things like this." He took out a small remote control and then activated a view screen on the far wall.  
  
There was a bit of static at first, then the recording came on. On the screen, a section of Tokyo itself lay in ruins, fires burning through several of the buildings. Two figures stand there, looking at each other. Both young men are dark hared, and look almost eerily alike. Oddly, both of them are carrying longswords, and are dressed in boy's school uniforms.  
  
One of the two turns towards the camera, his eyes narrow slightly as he sees the person filming them, and he makes a short, throwing gesture towards them. The visual record then abruptly comes to an end.  
  
Jacobson used his remote to shut the video recording off. He turns, meeting the eyes of each of the members of the committee. In each of them he saw the horror of what they had seen, even as he let the silence linger for a few moments longer.  
  
"The Kamui incident is a well documented event involving multiple beings of great psionic power, who did massive damage across the city of Tokyo," he said calmly. He looked up at the circle of faces, "Now imagine what Genom could do if we could find a being of such power."  
  
Some of the committee members looked rather thoughtful at that, but the head still looked rather dubious. "Where would you find such beings?" she asked with a frown.  
  
"There are a number of existing leads we'll be actively investigating," he explained, "the stories of the Sailor Senshi, the boy who was as strong as a wild horse, Boogiepop, the Phantom Quest Corporation, and that's just to name a few."  
  
"But if those particular leads don't pan out? What if you can't find any of these beings of power?" another member challenged him.  
  
Jacobson smiled back at them calmly, glad that he'd been prepared for that question. "We have also contacted with an expert in the field," he explained, "and I'm quite confident that she will be of great use to our search."  
  
She walked from the shadows, long tawny hair flowing down her back. She dressed oddly, but even more strange was the odd looking 'v' mark on her forehead. There was a soft intake of breath from most of the committee, as they felt her power.  
  
"I hope I can help," Mara said to them all with a dangerous little smile on her face, taking a moment to throw her hair back over her shoulder.  
  
The vote was nearly assured at that point. A few more questions, and his budget was approved for the next few months. The head of the committee came over to him, smiling in a friendly sort of way. But the anger in her eyes wasn't so easily hidden.  
  
"I wish you the best of luck," she said, shaking his hand. A cool smile, "We'll be watching your progress eagerly."  
  
'In other words,' Jacobson thought wryly, "screw up and we'll know about it.' He smiled at her naturally, "Thank you very much."  
  
  
  
The meeting was adjourned, and Mara walked him down the hall towards his newly set up office space. "I have a tip for you," Mara said calmly, "to start you off," and gave him the co-ordinate data for a location in downtown Tokyo.  
  
"What should I expect?" Jacobson asked her, just a bit nervous.  
  
Mara smiled to herself, thinking of who was likely to be there very soon. "Fireworks," she said to him dryly, "expect to see lots of fireworks." She looked at him sideways, before adding quite firmly, "Just do the data collection, to start off with. I wouldn't recommend you interfere with any of them, at least not just yet."  
  
He nodded slightly, and took off to prepare his field team.  
  
Author's Note: The 'Kaumi' incident refers to Clamp's X manga and anime. The other series he mentions are Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2, Boogiepop Phantom, and Phantom Quest Corp. 


	4. Chapter three

Bubblegum Crisis/ Oh My Goddess: A Goddess comes to call  
  
Part Three: Three are more fun.  
  
A short trip, and about an hour later, Linna gently took the blindfold off Belldandy, smiling at her apologetically. "Sorry about that."  
  
Belldandy just smiled and shrugged. "I understand your friend's concerns. Are we there, then?" she said, looking around.  
  
"Yes, welcome to the Knight Sabers' headquarters." Sylia said dryly, "Considering your ability to see through armor, I doubt the blindfold did much good, but those are the rules."  
  
"You know, we could have some fun with blindfolds and restraints," a broadly smiling Urd suggested to Priss, who just blushed, kept undoing the blindfold and didn't comment.  
  
As they walked towards the testing bays they could hear a conversation up ahead. It seemed to involve machinery, bikes and, apparently, robots. As they came around a corner, they saw Mackie talking to a strange looking young girl, while Nene sat nearby, fuming.  
  
"Skuld," Belldandy said, "how did you get here?"  
  
"Big sister!" Skuld ran over and hugged her. "I've missed you!"  
  
"Hey, don't I get a hug?" Urd complained.  
  
"You do look a little busy," Skuld commented, as Urd kept a firm grip on the struggling Priss's arm.  
  
"You know these people?" Nene asked Sylia and Linna plaintively.  
  
"It's a long story," Linna said. "Priss, you tell it."  
  
"Linna accidentally summoned the Goddess Belldandy, and wished for her to stay with her forever," Priss said, and smiled wryly. "Apparently her family is also included."  
  
Nene looked at Linna, then over at Belldandy. "At least she's cute," Nene said with a smirk to Linna. Linna and Belldandy both blushed.  
  
"Anyway," Linna said, still blushing faintly, "you wanted to do some tests, Sylia?" Belldandy didn't mind, so Sylia took her off to run her scans.  
  
"Well, there goes that idea," Sylia sighed, as she, Mackie and Skuld looked over the several screens of test results. "She's not quite human, but she's certainly not a boomer. I've never seen scans like these."  
  
Skuld was looking over the computers and equipment with something like love in her eyes, "Wow, what a setup!" She looked over at Sylia entreatingly, "Can I live here?"  
  
Sylia sweatdropped, and Mackie laughed. "No, you can't!" Nene said firmly, walking into the room. "Any luck?" she asked. Sylia just shook her head.  
  
Nene grabbed Mackie and hustled him off, leaving Sylia with a very disappointed Skuld. Taking pity, Sylia called up Nigel, and had him give Skuld the grand tour. 'I doubt we can keep them out anyway, so we might as well try to make them our allies,' Sylia thought 'Besides, the kid's just too cute to refuse.'  
  
Walking into one of the briefing rooms nearby, she saw Priss sitting on one couch, Urd  
  
almost sitting in her lap, and Linna sitting on the other. Belldandy was pouring Linna a cup of tea. "Thank you," Linna said, smiling up at Belldandy, then got up and walked to Sylia. "So, what's the verdict?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Not human, exactly, but in no way are they boomers," Sylia answered, keeping her voice down. Linna sighed in relief, making Sylia give her an odd look.  
  
"She's nice," Linna said, blushing.  
  
Sylia smiled a bit, "Sure. Just nice, huh?"  
  
Linna sighed. 


	5. Chapter Four

Part Four: Keep on Moving  
  
Linna helped Sylia unroll the two mattresses in the empty suite at the Silky Doll. "Thanks, Sylia," Linna said, blushing a bit.  
  
"We can't put them in your apartment," Sylia said with a shrug. "Besides, I still want to figure out what they are." She looks sideways at Linna, "You do know, that you're going to have to stay here with them as well?"  
  
Linna nodded glumly, "Belldandy follows me, and they follow her." She shook her head and asked, "So where am I staying?" Sylia gestured to the next room, and Linna decided to walk over and take a look.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Belldandy said sweetly to Linna, "it's not quite ready." Belldandy stood in the middle of a room that looked like a much neater replica of her apartment bedroom. She was putting books in a bookcase, in the exact same order Linna had them.  
  
Linna looked around in shock. "How in the world did you do this?" she asked faintly.  
  
"It's a relatively simple trick," Belldandy answered simply. She suddenly looked a bit worried, "Do you not like it? If you want, I can put everything back..." Belldandy said, lifting her hands in the air as a soft glow appeared around her.  
  
"No, no! I like it! Thank you, Bell," Linna said, smiling at her. "It just surprised me."  
  
"You're welcome, Linna." Belldandy said, smiling. She asked her softly "Why did you call me 'Bell'?"  
  
"Sorry, short form for Belldandy," Linna explained. Belldandy looked thoughtful.  
  
"I think I like it," Belldandy admitted. "If you like, you can call me 'Bell'." she said, smiling at Linna warmly.  
  
Linna blushed. She looked around for something to say, and noticed that her bed was the only one in there. "Bell, where are you going to sleep?" Linna asked with a sinking feeling.  
  
"Why, with you of course," Belldandy said sweetly.  
  
Linna looked at her blankly a moment, blushing. "That's not a good idea," Linna started, only to see Belldandy's confused expression. 'She has no idea,' Linna thought, 'and I'm not sure I want to try to explain the lesbian birds and the bees to her.' Simple explanation time: "I roll over a lot in my sleep. Why don't I bring in another mattress?"  
  
"Oh, I can do that," Belldandy said cheerfully, and went off to find Sylia.  
  
Priss waited till Belldandy left, then walked in, chuckling softly. "She wants to sleep with you, and you're making excuses?" Priss said impishly.  
  
"And where's your new ball and chain?" Linna said dryly. Priss suddenly had a hunted look to her eyes, making Linna laugh.  
  
Priss rolled her eyes. "I still can't tell if she's serious or not," Priss said smiling.  
  
"There you are!" Urd said happily from behind Priss, wrapping her arms around Priss's neck.  
  
"What do you mean, you're sleeping together!" Skuld yelled angrily, running into the room. She looked very angry, as well as sugar filled.  
  
Belldandy followed, looking apologetic. "Skuld, you're over- reacting," Belldandy said soothingly.  
  
"No, we aren't," Linna started, only to be cut off.  
  
"Banpei, get in here!" Skuld yelled, and a small, squat robot walked in. It looked like it had been made from spare parts, and was strangely kawaii. "Go in there," she said, pointing to Linna and Belldandy's room, "and protect Belldandy! If Linna tries anything during the night, use punishment mode one!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," the robot said simply.  
  
"Punishment mode one?" Linna asked, frowning.  
  
"Banpei, demonstrate punishment mode one!" Skuld ordered. The little robot moved like a blur, and Linna reeled back as something struck her on the forehead. The robot dropped to the ground, even as Priss took one look at Linna and broke out laughing. Sylia and Nene walked in to see what was up, took a look, and started laughing too.  
  
Linna peered into a nearby mirror to see the word "HENTAI" stamped across her forehead. She groaned softly, even as Belldandy came over to her with a washcloth. 


	6. Chapter Five

Part Five: Shadows and Light  
  
The young man walked into the room, and started a bit when he saw the woman leaning on the desk. Before he can say anything, she asks "Did the information pan out? Are they here?"  
  
He frowned at her, then nodded. "I don't know how, but the timing was perfect! We got invaluable data on her arrival, as well as their potential power usage!" he said excitedly as he waved a computer disk.  
  
"And all the data's there, right?" she asked. "One copy, like we discussed?" He nodded happily. "Good. Now Sleep," she said, pointing at him. He dropped like he had been struck. She sauntered over and put the disk into a monitor on the desk.  
  
In moments, images of Belldandy's and Urd's power usages the day before are on screen. The woman shakes her head, muttering "Sloppy." She pops the disk out and waves one hand over the computer terminal, "Forget." Like a virus, the spell spreads through the computer network erasing all data on the goddesses' activities. She casually tossed the disk into the garbage can, sending an energy bolt in after it. The computer disk burns merrily as she closes the door behind her.  
  
It reads: Genom, Paranormal Research Department. The demoness Mara smiles cheerfully as she walks down the hall, "Now things get interesting."  
  
  
  
Linna lay on the mattress rolled out on the floor while Belldandy looked down at her worriedly from Linna's bed. "Are you sure this is all right?" Belldandy asked.  
  
"It's better than the alternative," Linna said, pointing over at the vigilant Banpei robot. Belldandy looked over at her sympathetically.  
  
Linna blushed, remembering what Urd had told her before going to bed: "Belldandy likes you, and I want her happy. You don't make her happy, and it's Urd bolts for you!" she finished, lightning crackling around her fingers.  
  
'Damned if I do, damned if I don't,' Linna thought with a sigh. She looked over at the staring robot and said "I wish he wouldn't look at me all the time, it creeps me out."  
  
"Oh, that's not a problem." Belldandy said cheerfully. She gestured, and the robot simply shut down.  
  
"Does Skuld know you can do that?" Linna asked worriedly.  
  
Belldandy grinned back, "No."  
  
Linna grinned, and shook her head. Urd's threat was at the front of her mind, but she wasn't sure what to do. Linna liked Belldandy, but she didn't know what Belldandy wanted. Finally making up her mind, she slipped free of the mattress and stood by Belldandy's bed. Belldandy looked up at her inquiringly, and Linna bent down to gently kiss her on the cheek. "Good night, Bell," Linna said nervously, lay down and went to bed.  
  
"Good night, Linna," Belldandy said, and watched the young woman lay down. Linna was almost as shy as she was, Belldandy realized. It must have taken a great deal of courage to do that. She watched her sleep, and wondered...  
  
  
  
Just before dawn, the sound of Sylia's voice over the intercom woke them all. Linna rushed to the lower levels where the suits were stored, and armored up quickly, Belldandy following all the way.  
  
"You are almost like knights in armor," she noted, as they rushed in the Silky Doll truck to the boomer emergency.  
  
"Something like that," Linna agreed, helmet visor up. "Sylia calls us the Knight Sabers."  
  
Priss actually looked relieved, as Urd couldn't put the moves on her while she was in armor, while Nene was doing her best to keep Skuld from taking her suit apart. "Did we have to bring them along?" Nene complained.  
  
"They may come in handy," Sylia said diplomatically. 'Besides,' Sylia thought, 'short of putting up a force field around the truck, I doubt we could have kept them out.'  
  
They pulled to a stop nearby the construction site, and Mackie summarized the situation: the boomers at the site had gone mad, tearing the girders down and reshaping the structure, and to make matters worse, the lower levels had caught fire. Sylia quickly divided up the assignments, and they started to move out.  
  
"I don't know how dangerous this is going to be, Bell," Linna said. "Please, stay with the truck."  
  
"Do you really think I'll do that?" Belldandy asked quietly.  
  
Linna sighed softly, "No, I guess not." Linna looked thoughtful, and asked "Can you do anything about the fire?"  
  
Belldandy smiled happily, "I think so." She and Urd easily followed Linna and Priss up to the top of the building and the maddened boomers, while Sylia, Nene and Skuld tried to control the fire and make sure the site was evacuated. She began to speak softly, gesturing as they ran, and soon a soft rain began to fall, dampening the flames. "Sorry, Linna," Belldandy shouted to her just ahead, "it's the best I can do!"  
  
"Thanks," Linna said, as the dodged through the rabbit warren of twisted girders. Strangely, they seemed to form a pattern, curves and circles radiating outward. The group finally reached the center, where they found the boomers standing motionless, still as statues. "What in the world?" Linna asked, frowning.  
  
Priss walked over and tapped a construction boomer on the head. It swayed, and just fell over. "Totally dead," Priss said, frowning. She looked around irritably, a scowl on her face, then stopped when she saw Urd. The goddess was glowing, struggling against some invisible force.  
  
Belldandy moved to help, and Urd yelled "Stop!" Belldandy wanted to move closer, but Linna reached around her and grabbed her arms. "It's a trap, keyed to me!" Urd growled angrily. Priss walked forward, and tried to pry Urd loose, without success. "Why Priss," Urd gasped, "I didn't know you cared."  
  
A red energy bold arched out of the night, and blasted the armored figure away from Urd. "She's mine," the voice said, "you can't have her." Mara stepped out of the shadows, frowning at the Knight Sabers. "I don't know who you are, but I suppose it doesn't matter," Mara said, gesturing. The boomers glowed, and came to life!  
  
They ran at Linna and a recovering Priss, who began to cut and blast them down, as Belldandy faced Mara. "Let her go," Belldandy said softly, her entire body glowing softly.  
  
"Are you really prepared to take me on?" Mara laughed, looking Belldandy in the eye.  
  
Just then, what was left of a construction boomer sailed by her head. She turned, to see Linna, looking particularly furious, standing on the remnants of her adversaries. "She doesn't have to," Linna said darkly. Mara looked for the rest of her troops, and saw Priss disposing of the last of them.  
  
She looked at the two Knight Sabers with something like surprise. Before she could say anything, she felt a soft prick at her throat. Sylia smiled in her armor, as she held the blade to Mara's neck. "The goddesses are our friends," she said coldly, "you mess with them, you mess with us." She used the communicator to ask, "Nene, can you do something about this?"  
  
Nene dropped down, and circled around the still trapped, glowing Urd. "Hmm, interesting," she murmured, and began to work. A few minutes later, and Urd dropped to the floor. "Hah, jammed it!" Nene said proudly.  
  
Mara looked around her with something like awe. "Interesting friends you've found," Mara admitted. She grinned, "It'll make things more interesting." With a single move, she slipped free of Sylia's grip and disappeared into the night.  
  
Priss moved to stop her, but wasn't quite fast enough. "Looks like things just got a lot more interesting," she sighed. She saw Urd struggling to stand, and walked over to offer her hand, which Urd took gratefully. "This doesn't mean I like you," Priss said simply.  
  
Urd chuckled softly. "Of course not," she agreed.  
  
"It looks like my family's problems have followed us," Belldandy said sadly.  
  
Linna smiled at Belldandy, and cautiously circled her arm around her. "With our lifestyle, I doubt we'd notice," Linna joked.  
  
Belldandy sighed, and leaned into Linna's arm.  
  
Skuld glared at the two pairs, then growled to Nene, "Mushy stuff, yuck." Nene just smiled mysteriously to the younger goddess, who stuck her tongue out, "Bleeh!" 


	7. Interlude the second

Interlude the Second (After Part five)  
  
The unmarked van pulled up to the construction site shortly after the AD Police had arrived, and a four member team of white clad technicians fanned out. A young man in a business suit strode over to the head officers, his expression grave and looking very official.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Leon asked him with a scowl.  
  
"Jacobson," he said, holding up his Genom corporate id while carefully concealing which division he actually came from. "There may be a unusual energy leakage involved with this situation," he explained as he tucked his id away, before asking them, "For your own safety, can my people go have a look around the site?"  
  
"Why should be let you anywhere near..." Leon started to say, but Daley shushed him with a gesture, his expression thoughtful.  
  
"You wouldn't have anything to do with investigating the Knight Sabers' activities here last night, would you?" Daley asked him quietly, almost feeling certain of the answer.  
  
He wasn't disappointed when Jacobson just smiled slightly, as he softly replied, "I can neither confirm or deny that, officer." He looked at the two of them, "If you wish, your officers can follow my people around, make sure they don't disturb any evidence."  
  
There was a pause, and Jacobson gave them a somewhat more grim smile, "Or I can call your superiors and let them know you're not being very cooperative."  
  
Daley had to hold Leon back from lunging after Jacobson. While keeping a grip on his partner he said to Jacobson, "Make it quick."  
  
Daley pulled the plainly angry Leon aside, saying in a fierce whisper to him, "You noticed how he covered up his division? He's probably from security and intelligence, Leon. We don't need that kind of trouble."  
  
Daley himself came up with Jacobson in the freight elevator, giving the Genom official a sardonic smile. 'I'm glad they didn't try to call my bluff,' the young executive thought wryly. Jacobson looked out over the city, wondering where the traitorous Mara was right now.  
  
The doors opened, and he stepped out to see his team hard at work. They each carried a modified electromagnetic scanner, a technology he had modified to pick up more... exotic energies. The tallest technician all but ran over to him.  
  
"Fairchild," he said, giving her a respectful nod.  
  
She thrust her scanner at him, "Look at this, sir!"  
  
Jacobson's eyebrows went right up, looking the readings over. 'It's almost exactly the energy use profile I had expected, but it's so much stronger,' he thought, more than a bit surprised. Daley was looking over his shoulder, but it didn't bother him too much. A layman couldn't easily decipher the readings, anyway.  
  
"Where are the reading's strongest?" Jacobson asked her, handing the scanner back to her. She trotted off, and he followed a bit more slowly. They went into a twisted warren of metal beams, eventually reaching a clear area in the center. He tested with his own scanner, frowning thoughtfully as he paced back and forth.  
  
"Not just that," Fairchild said softly, pointing out an small irregularity in the readings, "it seems that someone was able to disrupt whatever was going on."  
  
He looked around thoughtfully, trying to spot a pattern in the twisted metal. "Do we have a recon drone in the van?" he asked out of nowhere.  
  
Fairchild nodded, "Two, actually." She looked at him thoughtfully, then her eyes widened as she looked around, "An overview, of course!" She talked softly into her wrist communicator, then reported, "Drone launched."  
  
He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his personal organizer. Pressing a few buttons linked it up to the drone, and he guided it over the site, until it was directly above them. "Interesting," he said thoughtfully, looking at what seemed to be several circles within circles, a exotic pattern made up of pieces of bent and twisted metal. After a few moments of study, he abruptly said, "Finish the readings, we're leaving."  
  
A few moments later, they were on their way back to Genom. "It was a binding circle, wasn't it?" Fairchild asked him from the driver's seat. "And someone artificially disrupted it, setting whatever was held in there free."  
  
Jacobson nodded, looking over at the red head, "Just like in the books. But I've never seen one this size before." A slight smile, and he took the tone of a teacher to a student as he asked, "Do you know why it was made of iron?"  
  
Fairchild thought about it, then she frowned. "To hold something very, very powerful," she said, almost whispering in her shock.  
  
"Which means we better find whatever it is," Jacobson agreed, "and as soon as possible. I don't want to think of the damage it could do." 


	8. Chapter Six

Part Six: History Lessons  
  
Two days later, Sylia, Priss and Nene were in one of the Knight Saber headquarters' computer rooms staring at the images Sylia was calling up and printing out. "Incredible," Sylia said softly, intently studying the computer screen. On the screen are pictures of several different despots and dictators, and standing beside each and every one is a woman with a decidedly sinister look on her pretty face.  
  
"Is that who I think it is?" Priss asked Sylia softly.  
  
Sylia shrugged, "The woman seems to be Mara. The other people span the twentieth and twenty first centuries."  
  
"My god," Nene said softly. "Where did you find this?"  
  
"This isn't all of it. I'm still doing visual matches through other photo archives based on the Goddesses and Mara, but I've found several matches already, from the 1800's onward," Sylia quietly explained. "Nene," Sylia turned to ask her, "could you check the AD Police files for me? They're connected to some databases I have difficulty accessing."  
  
"Sure, Sylia, no problem," Nene said, taking the disk Sylia handed her.  
  
Priss and Sylia left the computer lab shortly after Nene did, and walked together to the newly dubbed residential wing. "So how's the situation with Urd?" Sylia asked Priss curiously.  
  
Priss shrugged, an odd look on her handsome face. "She's not jumping me when I go into the room anymore, but..." Priss struggled for words. "I think there might be something more serious going on, now."  
  
"You like her, don't you?" Sylia asked gently.  
  
"I have to admit, she grows on you," Priss acknowledged. "But she's also a immortal goddess. I mean, just think of the age gap!" Priss joked.  
  
"And the amount of experience?" Sylia teased her with a smile on her face.  
  
Priss blushed softly, and didn't answer. They entered the three suites and living room the small group was using. Skuld had a hardsuit helmet, and was tinkering with the heads up display. Urd sits on one couch, and Linna and Belldandy sat on the other.  
  
Urd saw Priss walk in and her face lit up in a smile. "Hi," Urd said, getting up and walking over to Priss's side. "You've been making yourself scarce lately," she said, gently taking Priss's arm.  
  
Priss blushed, "Rehearsals with my band. We've been trying to work the bugs out of some new numbers."  
  
"You sing as well?" Urd said cheerfully. "I'd look forward to seeing you... perform," Urd said, gently teasing her. Priss blushed brightly.  
  
Sylia watched with a great deal of amusement as Urd maneuvered Priss to sit by her on the couch, then she sat across from them, setting a file folder in front of her. "I've been doing some research, but I also have some questions for the three of you. Would you mind?" She opened the folder and laid out the photo of Mara.  
  
Urd winced a bit, and Belldandy looked over at her sympathetically. "That's Mara," Belldandy said softly, "a Demoness First Class." She picked up her tea and sipped a bit, looking uncomfortable. Linna took her hand, and Belldandy smiled over at her gratefully. She continued "Her job involves making bargains for mortals in exchange for their souls, and to thwart the actions of Goddesses on this plane of existence."  
  
Sylia looked serious as she gazed at Urd and said, "There seemed to be something almost... personal, about her reaction to you. What was that about?"  
  
Urd sighed softly. "We've been friends for a very long time," Urd admitted.  
  
Priss looked at her in mild disbelief, "If the two of you are friends, I wouldn't want to see how she treats her enemies!"  
  
Urd shrugs, "Off duty, we're friends. Get drunk, do karaoke, play Tetris, and occasionally sleep together. On duty, on the other hand, we have to go at each other all out."  
  
"Sleep together?" Nene echoed, blushing fiercely.  
  
"Among Goddesses and other higher beings, it's not that big of a deal. But I think Mara may have fallen in love with me," Urd admitted with a sigh. She added "I only began to notice in the last century or so, and I've been trying to dissuade her, for her sake as well as mine."  
  
"Why would a relationship between you and her be a problem?" Linna asked, avoiding looking over at Belldandy.  
  
Belldandy smiled sadly as she answered for Urd, "The rules are very strict in these cases. Demon and God must remain separate, so that we can perform the tasks assigned to us by the Almighty. Urd and Mara were nearly violating the rules already by being friends, and if they became lovers and partners, the punishment would be... unthinkable."  
  
Skuld nodded, and said seriously, "I've never heard of a case in my lifetime, but I understand the punishments were terrible."  
  
Sylia asked some more questions about Mara's powers and abilities, but got frustrratingly inpercise answers. So much depended on if Mara had made a deal with someone, and what that deal was. Under the right circumstances, she could do almost anything.  
  
  
  
A little while later, Urd followed a quickly walking Priss as she rushed down the hallway out of the building. "Hold on a minute," Urd said. "What's wrong?"  
  
Priss stopped suddenly, and Urd ran into her, But Priss grabbed her and kept them upright. "Were you after me to be a replacement for Mara?" Priss asked Urd suddenly.  
  
Urd looked at her, surprised and a little hurt. "No," she said quietly, "I thought you were good looking and that we could have some fun together." She smiled impishly, "And teasing you was very enjoyable."  
  
"You've stopped teasing me so much," Priss observed, "after we met Mara."  
  
Urd smiled a bit sadly, "My playing around has already hurt someone I care about. I'm not going to do it again."  
  
Priss looked at her intently, then reached out to gently stroke Urd's cheek, "It doesn't have to be playing, if you don't want it to be."  
  
Urd looked at her, eyes wide with something like fear. Then she bolted down the hall. Priss moved to follow, then stopped, turned and walked away.  
  
Sylia watched the events unfold on her security monitor, then turned it off with a sigh. "They're both idiots," she said disgustedly.  
  
Belldandy looked over at Linna and asked, "Are you all right, with what we were talking about out there?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so, Bell," Linna said, picking up her men's pajamas and walking over to the bathroom to get changed. She was surprised when Belldandy stepped up beside her and put her hand on her arm.  
  
"You can change in here if you like," Belldandy said, blushing fiercely. She continued in a rush "You know that Goddesses don't mind such things, and I wanted to..."  
  
Linna shushed her, a finger to her lips. "It's alright, Bell," she said, and kissed her chastely on the cheek.  
  
She came back in the room to find a fiercely blushing Belldandy in a nearly transparent nightie sitting on the bed. She looked like somebody's dream girl, a fantasy come to life. She looked up at Linna and smiled bravely, "Do you like it?"  
  
Linna gulped loudly, in the silence of the room. "It looks good," Linna croaked out.  
  
She got up and stood by Linna, determination in her eyes. "Linna," Belldandy asked, "would you like to help me take it off?"  
  
"Yes," Linna admitted softly, "but I want it to mean something, Bell. You're greatful, and that may be clouding your judgement. And there's that wish, too."  
  
"Linna, over the past few weeks, I've gotten to know you. The you underneath the tough exterior, the kind, loving, generous woman that you are. And I've fallen for that woman, even though I didn't want to," Belldandy said, and kissed Linna, on the lips this time. Linna's arms went around her, and Belldandy sighed happily.  
  
"I don't have the strength," Linna said in a husky whisper, "to say no to you again." She kissed Belldandy, weeks of bottled up passion coming to the surface, met by a fire just as strong as hers.  
  
Belldandy pushed her gently back, and they fell together on the bed.  
  
Suddenly, the sound of running metal feet and a loud electronic beeping is heard. A voice declared, "Punishment mode one!" and they were abruptly seperated. Slap! A large rubber stamp hit Linna on the forehead!  
  
"You forgot to shut the robot down, didn't you?" Linna sighed, and began rubbing at the word 'Hentai' stamped on her head. 


	9. Chapter Seven

Part Seven: Come Together  
  
"Banpei was activated last night." Skuld said frowning, looking down at a small remote control she held in her hand. Mackie and Nene watched in surprise as the young Goddess suddenly jumped up from where she was sitting on the couch and raced down the hall towards Linna and Belldandy's room.  
  
"Wait a minute," Nene cautioned, getting up from her own chair to race after her. She had a good idea what Skuld might burst in on, and didn't want to see what might happen!  
  
"Hey, they might not want to be disturbed!" Mackie added, and Nene winced.  
  
"Could you be a little less tactful, Mackie?" Nene asked him with great sarcasm. Skuld hurried faster, if that was possible.  
  
"What in the.." Priss said surprised as Skuld raced by her, Nene and Mackie in hot persuit. With a shrug, she joined the chase.  
  
Skuld came to a screeching halt at Linna and Belldandy's room, then pressed her ear to the door. When she didn't hear anything, she whipped out a small device, put a set of headphones on and pointed it at the bedroom! "Hmm, no movement!" she said thoughtfully.  
  
"Maybe we should just leave them alone," Nene said nervously, taking Skuld's arm and trying to gently pull the young goddess down the hall. Sadly, she couldn't manage to get Skuld to budge an inch.  
  
Instead, Skuld stepped forward and whipped the door open! Looking inside, they saw Linna and Belldandy, fast asleep and nude on top of the rumpled covers, spooned together. Linna had her arms wrapped around Belldandy possesively, as is she never intended to let her go.  
  
"Way to go, Linna!" Priss said quietly, a slightly sad smile on her face. 'It wasn't that she was jealous, it was just that, well, alright, she was jealous,' Priss admitted to herself. She snuck another look at the two sleeping women while she still had the chance.  
  
Nene looked over at the plainly furious Skuld and began to softly count down under her breath, "Five... four... three... two... one...," then she put her hands over her ears.  
  
"Big sister, how could you!" Skuld shouted loudly, instantly awakening the two young women sleeping there! Linna saw the group staring in the open doorway and quickly scrambled around the room for her clothes as Belldandy looked on serenely. Priss just stood there and grinned, while Nene reached over to cover poor Mackie's eyes with her hand.  
  
"You really should knock first," Belldandy gently chided Skuld, as Linna sat down on the side of the bed and struggled to pull on her pants, a half on/ half off T-shirt covering her top.  
  
Urd stuck her head out of her own room just down the hall and sourly asked the group "What's going on?" She then sauntered out of her room in a very revealing nightgown, which Priss definately noticed. It was a scanty two piece that fought a valiant battle just to try to contain Urd's many charms. She grinned at the slightly stunned look on Priss' face, and struck a glamour-girl pose, "You like?"  
  
Priss blushed, suddenly discomforted, and stuttered out "I.. uhm... it looks good."  
  
Urd smiled at her, then moved forward to look into the other bedroom. "Did you two have a good time last night?" she asked Linna and Belldandy pleasantly.  
  
Linna blushed brighter, while Belldandy just smiled a very self- satisfied smile. "You knew," Skuld exclaimed, "and you didn't stop them?!"  
  
"Why should I?" Urd said with a casual shrug. "It certainly sounded like they were both having fun last night," she said with a impish smile on her face. Both Linna and Belldandy blushed a bit more at that. Before any more teasing could occur, Lina took the door in her hand and firmly closed it in their faces.  
  
A fiercely blushing Nene led a slightly nose-bleeding Mackie and the still fuming Skuld away, while Urd and Priss walked over to Urd's room together. "Well, that was fun," Urd said with a little smile, standing in her open doorway. The light came from behind her, tracing her figure for Priss' admiring gaze.  
  
Priss grinned back at her, "Did you notice the ink on her forehead?" Urd smirked and nodded, and they both shared a cheerful laugh. "Looks like the robot tried it's best, anyway."  
  
"No mere robot could stand in the way of true love," Urd said with a smile. She suddenly looked a bit nervous as she said much more softly, "Speaking of love, I'm sorry for bolting on you, last night."  
  
"I've always had terrible luck and bad timing," Priss said with a smile and shrug. "Would you like to talk about it, maybe over dinner?" she suggested to Urd a bit nervously.  
  
Urd looked over at Priss thoughtfully, a little smile on her face. "Why, Priss, are you asking me out?" she asked teasingly.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am," Priss answered more firmly. "I'll pick you up at seven o'clock tonight, alright?"  
  
"I'll be ready," Urd said with a heart-stopping smile on her beautiful face.  
  
Priss stopped in the hall and asked, "Could you wear that dress you had on when I first met you?" Urd gave her an enquiring glance, and a blushing Priss said quietly, "I couldn't get how you looked in it out of my head for days."  
  
Urd laughed happily, "That was the general idea." She closed the door behind her without answering Priss' question, though.  
  
In her office, Sylia sat behind her desk and shuffled the paperwork spread out across it. She hated, absolutely hated, doing filing. 'I wonder if I could hire a secretary?' she mused, then shook her head. She looked over at the clock and smiled a small, mysterious smile. Picking up a small folder, she said aloud, "I was wondering when you'd get here."  
  
"You really should have Belldandy and the others set up supernatural defences for this place," Mara said to Sylia in conversational tones, walking out of the shadows.  
  
"They already have," Sylia answered, "but I didn't want to activate them until we had the chance to talk."  
  
"Oh really," Mara said, "talk about what?"  
  
Sylia smiled over at Mara as she said, "I"d like to make a deal..."  
  
  
  
Mara looked at the pile of pages of legalese she had just spent over an hour to plow through, a large sweatdrop on the side of her head. "I'm impressed," she admitted, casually fanning herself with the sheets of paper.  
  
"So, do we have a agreement?" Sylia asked her cautiously. She had carefully thought out and written the request, and hopefully filled in any loopholes, but she wouldn't know until Mara sent the wish in.  
  
"Sorry," Mara said, shaking her head with an admiring smile. "The way you wrote this," she continued, holding up the contract, "my side would gain absolutely nothing from such a wish, other than your soul."  
  
"That was the intent," Sylia admitted. "I think my soul would have been a small price to pay if you could have done it, though."  
  
"A completely unselfish wish," Mara said with a smile, "not something we see every day." Mara waved the massive contract around and asked, "Could I take this with me?"  
  
"Why?" Sylia asked her suspiciously.  
  
"I want to fax it to our contracts department, with a note attatched reading, 'Learn, guys.'," Mara said with a grin.  
  
Both she and Sylia shared a short laugh at that. "Speaking as one professional to another," Sylia said calmly, a little smile teasing her lips "I hope I didn't injure you, up on the construction site."  
  
"Nothing permanent," Mara said with a smile. "And, as one professional to another," Mara said more seriously, "I won't be holding back in our next engagement."  
  
They both looked at each other dead seriously, then suddenly the whole conversation struck them both as funny. Sylia smiled, Mara chuckled, then they both began laughing until they needed to lean on each other for support. They would calm down momentarily, then look at each other and start laughing again.  
  
Sylia dug around her desk until she found a box off tissues and pulled out some for her and Mara. "You certainly dress well for a devil," Sylia tried to change the subject, looking over Mara thoughtfully.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Mara answered with a smile. She looked Sylia over thoughtfully, adding "There were a few outfit's downstairs I was tempted by. I'll stop in when I'm off duty." With that, she was gone.  
  
Sylia looked thoughtfully to where Mara was standing, wondering a bit at the look Mara had given her before she left. As if she was considering something else... 


	10. Chapter Eight

Part Eight  
  
Linna touched the small object in her pocket nervously as she walked back to the Silky Doll building. She wanted to do this, but butterflies of nervousness fluttered around inside her. 'What if she says no?' Linna thought to herself worriedly. 'I mean, we really haven't known each other all that long,' she fretted.  
  
She walked around the residential wing a few moments looking for Belldandy, but only got a glare from Skuld for her trouble. Sylia stopped her in the hallway, and with a sly smile said "I just saw Belldandy go outside, behind the building."  
  
Linna smiled at Sylia gratefully. "Thanks, Sylia," a very relieved Linna said, and then she hurried down the hall towards the main elevator. She stepped into the elevator and turned to see Sylia just standing there, an odd smile on her face.  
  
"Good luck!" Sylia said cheerfully, and grinned when Linna gave her a very surprised look. The elevator doors closed before Linna could say anything, and Sylia walked away with a very self-satisfied look on her face.  
  
Linna walked outside, and instantly heard the soft sound of someone's beautiful singing. Instinctively following it, she soon reached a small group of trees, long ago stunted by all the pollution around Tokyo, and saw an astonishing sight.  
  
Belldandy stood there in the center of the grove, her hands outstretched and her head raised as she sang sweetly to the trees. Above and slightly behind her, an angel floated, it's wings extended and raising her own voice along with Belldandy's.  
  
Something caught Linna's eye, and she saw the trees stir, living green spreading up blackened branches and cherry blossoms beginning to sprout from them. "That's incredible," Linna said softly, trying not to disturb her.  
  
Belldandy heard it anyway and turned, a broad smile on her pretty face. The angel shrunk and disappeared, almost seeming to flow into Belldandy's own body. "Spring doesn't seem quite right without seeing and smelling cherry blossoms," Belldandy explained to Linna cheerfully, "so I offered them my help."  
  
"They're very beautiful," Linna said, slowly looking around the grove with a smile on her face, then focusing on Belldandy "and so are you." Belldandy blushed, and Linna slowly walked over to stand in front of her. The young woman had a very serious expression as she knelt down on the ground there in front of her.  
  
"There's a custom among my people," Linna began, "when two people are in love, they give a gift, to symbolize that love."  
  
Belldandy nodded, a smile growing on her beautiful face as she answered, "And among my people, as well. It can symbolize love, and a commitment to remain together."  
  
Linna smiled back at her, reached into her pocket and pulled out the small, black box. She popped it open, and a gold ring glimmered, a diamond chip gleaming on the top. "Will you marry me?" Linna asked her softly.  
  
Belldandy nodded, tears glimmering in her eyes, "Yes!"  
  
Linna gently slipped the ring on Belldandy's finger; rose and then she took her into her arms. The cherry blossoms swirled around them as they kissed, until...  
  
Priss ran out of the Silky Doll and right to where Linna and Belldandy were kissing. They quickly separated once she ran up to them.  
  
"You gotta help me!" she exclaimed, grabbing Linna by the shoulders.  
  
"What's wrong?" Belldandy asked her calmly.  
  
"I just asked Urd out on a date, and she said yes!" a slightly panicked Priss explained. Both Linna and Belldandy looked at her oddly.  
  
"And that's a problem because?" Linna asked her as patiently as possible. She had never seen the normally cool, worldly Priss looking so frazzled.  
  
"I just don't know what to do!" Priss burst out. She suddenly stopped, an odd look on her face as she looked back and forth between Linna and Belldandy, "What am I asking you for? You two don't even know anything about dating!"  
  
"Why not ask Sylia," Belldandy suggested to her patiently, as if she was reasoning with a very small child. In this case, considering Priss's emotional state, she probably was.  
  
"Sylia!" Priss exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Why didn't I think of that," she muttered, and headed back to the Silky Doll at top speed.  
  
Linna and Belldandy watched her go, both of them sweatdropping a bit.  
  
A few minutes later, and Priss was standing in Sylia's office. "All right, calm down," Sylia said with a smile, sitting Priss down in one of her chairs. "So you invited Urd out for dinner, it's not like she's going to try and bite you or something." She smirked suddenly, adding quietly "At least, not unless you ask her nicely."  
  
Priss' intense glare showed that little piece of humor didn't go over very well. "This is our first date, sort of," Priss said to Sylia nervously. She got up and paced a bit, "I guess I just want things to go well."  
  
"If you work yourself into a panic, then things certainly won't go well at all," Sylia said to her gently. She then firmly sat Priss down again and, after a bit of thought, she said, "Here's what you're going to do..."  
  
  
  
At exactly seven o'clock, Priss gently but firmly knocked on Urd's bedroom door. Urd opened the door, Priss smiled at her and extended a bouquet of flowers. "Flowers for the lady," she said with a charming smile.  
  
Urd smiled back at her, obviously liking what she was seeing. Priss was decked out in a snugly fitted blue suit, which nicely set off her auburn hair and fiery eyes. She looked elegantly butch, a style that went well with Urd's sexy dress.  
  
The red dress was an off the shoulder number, and hugged all off Urd's generous curves. Chinese styled, it made her look dangerously seductive, and Priss found herself gulping audibly at the gorgeous sight.  
  
Urd gently took the flowers from the slightly stunned Priss and then led her inside. The room was oddly decorated, with various pieces of lab equipment strewn about like some mad chemist's hideout. Urd took a chemical beaker and carefully arranged the roses in it, adding a bit of water to keep them fresh.  
  
They left together, Urd linking her arm with her handsome companion's. "So, where to?" Urd asked Priss curiously.  
  
They stepped out of the Silky Doll and Urd blinked in surprise. A stretch limo waited there, a midnight black cruiser. "Your carriage awaits," Priss said with a grin.  
  
"Very nice," Urd remarked as Priss opened the door for her and then helped her up. This also let her admire Urd as she climbed in, something they were both aware of.  
  
"Sylia owed me a favor or two," Priss said calmly. She sat by Urd then leaned forward to tap on the divider separating the front and back seats.  
  
It rolled down, revealing a smiling Nene and Mackie, both outfitted in chauffer outfits. "Where to, madam?" a grinning Nene asked in a fake British accent.  
  
"Dinner first, I think," Priss answered with a grin. The divider rolled back up, and they were off. She turned to Urd and opened a concealed mini-bar, "Would you like a drink?" Priss poured herself a small fruit juice.  
  
"I think the company is intoxicating enough," Urd smiled, taking a juice herself. Urd felt remarkably off-balance, a feeling she wasn't very used to. Priss had really surprised her with all this, and the night had barely started!  
  
"Thank you," Priss said, blushing a bit. "You look wonderful," she added softly, looking intently across the seat at Urd.  
  
"I'm glad you wore that suit," Urd admitted, "it looks wonderful on you." The Limo rolled to a stop, and Priss grinned.  
  
"First stop," Priss said, opening the door and climbing out. She reached in and offered her hand to Urd. The goddess took it, and then swung her body sideways, showing off her long, silky legs. Urd grinned at the look of desire that passed across Priss' face.  
  
The restaurant was small, off the beaten path, and had the look of an exclusive establishment. Priss just confirmed it when she flashed a membership card to the doorwoman, who examined it and then let them in. Urd noticed something odd as they walked in: all the customers were female, and most of them in pairs.  
  
"A very interesting place," Urd commented quietly as she and Priss were led to a secluded corner table. Priss held out the chair for her, and Urd smiled at Priss gratefully as she smoothly took her seat. Menus were handed out, and the waitress left.  
  
"Sylia took us here once," Priss said with a grin. She chuckled, "I thought poor Nene and Linna were going to faint, especially after we heard some of the waitresses talking."  
  
"What did they say?" Urd asked her curiously.  
  
"They thought Sylia had gotten us all together for an orgy," Priss said with a bad girl grin. Urd began to laugh softly, and Priss joined her.  
  
Music started, soft, instrumental dance music, and several couples quickly rose to dance. A pink hared girl and her darker companion almost seemed to waltz as they gracefully moved across the small dance floor together.  
  
Urd looked across the table thoughtfully at Priss. "So, do you dance as well as you sing?" Urd asked her archly.  
  
Priss chuckled softly as she got up, offering her hand to Urd. "Would my lady care to find out?" she asked with a grin. 


	11. Interlude the third

Interlude the Third  
  
Fairchild knocked softly on the office door, and upon hearing a response, she walked inside. Jacobson sat behind the older style desk, his feet resting on top, looking over at a poster he had put up on the wall. It read simply, "I want to believe," and had a picture of a UFO on it. The edges were just a bit singed, as if it had been through a fire.  
  
Jacobson noticed her odd look, and laughed softly. "This," he said, gesturing over to it, "used to belong to a legendary, or maybe infamous, FBI agent. Everybody thought he was totally nuts, until he was finally proven right."  
  
"There were no new energy spikes," Fairchild said a bit apologetically, adding "There was a small reading, but it faded too quickly for us to lock on to."  
  
"Hopefully we can get some results soon," Jacobson sighed. "I understand Quincy himself has expressed an interest in this department," he said a bit worriedly.  
  
"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked, sitting down across from him. She passed over a data file to him, and he put it in his scanner. "We've been studying the data from the construction site," she reported, "and I think we can duplicate the disruption effect."  
  
"It's good," he said with a wry smile, "if we can actually produce some results." Jacobson read the file, nodding thoughtfully, "This data may be the key. We can use it to modify the force fields to work like a binding circle." He sat up, hearing another knock, "Come in."  
  
Megumi walked in, and both Jacobson and Fairchild cringed a little bit. The tech was covered in grease, her coveralls totally filthy. There was even some grease in her short, graying hair. "I've just finished modifying the next generation K-suits," she calmly reported. "The electromagnetic shielding is in place to protect us from the pulse weapon, and I think I'll have the van modified in a day or so," she said with a shrug.  
  
"Good work," he said, giving her a approving nod. He noticed the smile Megumi gave Fairchild, and the shy smile the young woman gave her in return. "Why don't you two clock out early?" he suggested.  
  
Megumi beamed at him, grabbing her girlfriend's hand. "Thanks, boss," Megumi grinned, and all but dragged the mildly protesting Fairchild off.  
  
"Ah, love," he laughed. The two were an odd couple, but certainly an interesting one. Caitlin Fairchild was a MIT graduate, an expert in Physics and only in her early twenties. Megumi Morisato was a tech savant, in her mid fifties, who could build almost anything they designed, and usually add a few improvements, too.  
  
"I really expected you to be shut down," a amused voice said from behind him, "after I destroyed all your precious data."  
  
Jacobson turned around, glaring at Mara. "No thanks to you," he growled, "but I was able to sell my superiors on the obviously supernatural attack you pulled on our computer systems." He reached, carefully, to a button hidden under his desk.  
  
"I know you have the place rigged," Mara said calmly, "and I also know I can hurt you very badly before you hit that switch." He moved his finger away, and she nodded. "I'm asking you to shut this down," she said, waving her arm around to indicate the wing where his department was based, "stop trying to catch the supernatural."  
  
"That's not going to happen," Jacobson said, shaking his head. "I've spent far too long being a laughing stock," he said to her intensely, "to give this up now. I will scientifically prove the existence of the supernatural."  
  
"At whatever the cost?" Mara asked him softly, with just a bit of respect in her voice. She liked to see ruthlessness in people.  
  
"Yes," he answered her shortly.  
  
A grim smile crossed Mara's face. "Quincy is not the sort of man I'd hand this kind of power to," Mara pointed out to him reasonably.  
  
Jacobson frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not handing the power to him, he's just my employer," he answered defensively.  
  
Mara sighed, and she began to fade away. "Just think about it," she urged him, before she was completely gone.  
  
Jacobson hit the switch under his desk, but it was too late. The force field kicked in just after she was gone. He shut it down, then got his scanner out of his desk, taking readings before the energy completely dissipated. He smiled, happy at the data he was getting, and tried not to think about what Mara had said to him. 


	12. Chapter Nine

Part Nine  
  
Mara sat hidden in the shadows, watching as Priss pulled Urd to her feet, held her close, and begin to gently sway along with the soft music. She still wasn't quite sure why she was here, following them. The limo had pulled out from the Silky Doll, and Mara had fallen in behind it on her motorcycle, concealing herself from human eyes.  
  
Seeing Urd with someone else, it should have been filling her with anger, but strangely, it wasn't. The feeling she had was more like regret, or maybe sorrow, for what might have once been between them. She got up, and prepared to leave the restaurant as quietly as she came, when she saw a familiar figure standing not too far away.  
  
Sylia Stingray stood just out of the loving couple's line of sight, but she could see them both easily, a small smile teasing her lips. The corner spot she had claimed also gave the silver hared woman a clear view of the other patrons of the restaurant. Realizing that she'd been spotted, Sylia raised her half full glass to Mara in a toast.  
  
Without giving herself any time to think about it, Mara quietly made her way through the crowd, in a few moments reaching Sylia's side. "What are you doing here?" Mara asked her quietly, meeting Sylia's gaze.  
  
"I could ask the same of you," Sylia answered her calmly in return. She swirled the amber liquid in her glass, before gently placing it back on a nearby table. "I suppose I'm out playing fairy godmother tonight," Sylia said with a small, self-mocking smile, "and I want to make sure that things turn out all right."  
  
Mara looked over at Sylia, and for just a moment saw something else in Sylia's eyes, the hint of a deeply buried pain. "There's something else," Mara asked her softly, "isn't there?"  
  
Sylia looked at Mara in surprise, and then she obviously put her defenses back up. "Maybe so," Sylia said dryly in reply, not really answering her question. She continued, "So what are you doing here, then?"  
  
Mara looked over at Urd and Priss for a moment. Both had relaxed after the initial stiffness of dancing with a new partner had passed, and both looked like they were having fun. Urd laughed as Priss twirled her gently, then pulled her back in close to her. Mara wasn't sure she had ever seen Urd look so completely happy.  
  
Speaking softly, so that Sylia could barely hear her words, Mara said "I planned to cause a little trouble. I wanted this date of theirs to go up in flames." She shook her head a bit, "But now..." she trailed off, realizing who she was talking to.  
  
Sylia smiled softly at her, the same sadness back in her expressive eyes. "And now?' she prompted Mara gently. Sylia wondered if the enigmatic demoness was here for the very same reason she was here.  
  
"I guess," Mara said with a sad sigh, "I just came to say good-bye to her." She looked over at Urd one more time, a single tear glittering on her cheek, before she simply faded from view, until she completely disappeared.  
  
Sylia finished her drink and prepared to go as well. She looked across at Urd and Priss, looking so good there as they danced slowly together. "I guess I had to say my good-byes too," she sighed, and left before Priss could see her.  
  
  
  
Belldandy hummed to herself happily as she knitted away. A large pile of completed cloth lay at her side, showing that she had been at it for awhile. Skuld walked by and stopped, frowning. "Why are you doing that the hard way?"  
  
Belldandy smiled serenely, "I'm making a gift for Linna, a new sweater." She went back to concentrating on her knitting.  
  
"So why don't you just use your powers?" Skuld asked irritably, instantly cross at the mere mention of Linna, the girl she blamed for corrupting her big sister. "Or I could make you a machine to do it!" she then suggested eagerly.  
  
Belldandy just gently shook her head, as if Skuld was completely missing the point. "This way, every single stitch of this sweater will be filled with my love for her," Belldandy sighed dreamily. "My love itself will be wrapped all around her, keeping her safe and warm this winter," Belldandy concluded cheerfully.  
  
Skuld looked at her big sister and sweatdropped. Only Belldandy could say something that was so totally sappy and fill it with such absolute sincerity. She sighed and shook her head before heading downstairs to talk with Nigel. At least he was rational, mostly.  
  
Linna ducked back in the hallway, wiping at her eyes. She stumbled back up the hall to give herself a few minutes to regain her composure, she was so touched by what Belldandy had just said! A deep, steadying breath or two later, and Linna made her way into the room to be greeted by Belldandy's always sunny smile.  
  
Not long after, Skuld sat on the floor by Nigel and passed him his tools even as he worked on completing the latest set of hardsuit upgrades. "Is it me, or are they all crazy?" Skuld finally asked him out of nowhere.  
  
Without missing a beat, he calmly answered her, "They're all crazy. Hand me that wrench, will ya?"  
  
  
  
Urd flopped into her seat, fanning herself with a handy napkin. "All right," she conceded with a laugh, "you really are a good dancer."  
  
Priss laughed softly, taking a napkin herself to wipe her brow. "You're not so bad yourself," she said, grinning across the table at her. They had pretty much danced everybody else on the dance floor into the ground, not to mention the band.  
  
Urd picked up her half full wine glass and finished it in one big gulp. "Ah, that's so nice," she sighed to herself happily. She then quickly polished off what food was left on her dinner plate, and Priss soon joined her.  
  
"Come on," Priss said with a smile, offering Urd her hand, "this night's just getting started."  
  
Urd took it and rose smoothly to her feet, smiling at Priss curiously. "So what else do you have planned?" she asked.  
  
Priss led her out of the restaurant to the limo, "You'll just have to wait and see." She grinned at Urd impishly.  
  
Urd gave a mock pout. "I feel like a prisoner being ferried off to an unknown fate," she complained with a smile.  
  
Priss laughed evily, "Just you wait, my pretty!" They shared a laugh as the Limo doors popped open automatically.  
  
"Where to next, Madam?" Mackie asked with his own version of the fake British accent. Nene rolled her eyes over how bad his was.  
  
"The club, I think," Priss said after taking a moment to pretend to think about it. Mackie raised his eyebrows at that.  
  
"Are you sure, Priss?" Nene asked.  
  
"Yep," Priss answered her calmly. She then looked over at Urd, adding, "They're worried about the club we're going to. We can leave as soon as you wish, though."  
  
"It sounds like a interesting place," Urd remarked Priss with a wolfish smile. Priss returned it in equal measure, and Nene was struck by how similar they could be.  
  
The divider rose silently, and they were off to their next destination. Urd looked out the window and watched the buildings change as they drove, the polished, well maintained structures giving way to older buildings in clear disrepair.  
  
"Not the best part of town," Priss remarked quietly, "but I started out here, all those years ago, and I used to sing at the club we're going to." She smiled wryly, "I like going back there. It reminds me of where I've been, and where I might end up."  
  
Urd reached across the seat to put her hand on Priss'. "You won't end up here, not if I can help it," she vowed to her softly.  
  
The limo slid to a stop before Priss could form a reply.  
  
The divider that separated the front and back seats rolled down, and Nene smiled at them nervously as she said, "This is your last chance, Priss. If you want to change your mind about this, now's the time."  
  
Urd grinned and Priss laughed at her friends nervousness. "I'll call you when we want to be picked up," Priss said with a smile. She looked at Nene and Mackie, adding, "Why don't you two go for dinner or something?"  
  
Mackie grins at her in obvious relief, "Thanks Priss. I don't want this limo sitting around this neighborhood too long," Several hoods walk by, giving the vehicle speculative looks. Mackie pales, and Priss laughed.  
  
She got out and went around to help Urd, then they walked over the nearby club as the limo peeled away hastily. A large flashing neon sign is visible, reading "Arisugawa's Locket" and a locket opening to reveal a sexy girl beneath it.  
  
"Charming," Urd commented dryly, and Priss snorted with laughter.  
  
"The club's changed hands and names a few times since I last sang here," Priss commented as she held the door open. Urd walked in to meet the appreciative gazes of the well dressed crowd of women as Priss added, "It's been a lesbian club for the last few years."  
  
"And the outside?" Urd asked with a delighted smile. She looked around the club in no little awe, the soft carpeted floor, old fashioned long bar, karaoke stage, a library and some couches to read on, even! It looked like a gentleman's club of a bygone age, nothing like what you'd expect to see from the total squalor outside.  
  
"Protective coloration," Priss answered with a grin. She spotted a friend in the crowd and waved at the woman, "Hey, Juri, how's it going?"  
  
Urd laughed softly. "Your friends don't know, do they?" she stated more than asked.  
  
Priss chuckled, "I have asked them to come in, before. It's not my fault they wouldn't, is it?" Priss tries her best to look innocent, and mostly fails.  
  
  
  
In another bar, in another part of the sprawling city, Sylia Stingray downs another tall drink, calmly and deliberately. She looks well on her way to being drunk, surrounded by businessmen and executives working to attain that very same state.  
  
"Another, please," Sylia said quietly to the bartender. The pretty young woman looks at her nervously before pouring her yet another drink.  
  
"It can't be that bad," the lady says to her softly, trying to give Sylia an opportunity to talk about what was troubling her.  
  
Sylia gives her such a look that it silences her almost instantly. "I just helped set up the woman I used to love with a new girlfriend," she said it calmly, if just a little bit slowly so as to not slur any of the words, "and it only just occurred to me that I'm very unhappy about it." She slugged back the remainder of her drink, before setting the glass back on the counter with a loud thump.  
  
"Get me a drink too," the woman's voice said as a figure settled into the stool beside Sylia's. She looked over, and Mara smiled at her.  
  
"Have you been following me?" Sylia asked mildly, tipping her glass to Mara with a little smile on her face.  
  
"Sorry, no," Mara said calmly. She raised her glass to the bartender and then downed it in one shot. She smiled and asked Sylia, "Would you mind if I join you?"  
  
Sylia looked at her thoughtfully a moment. "Sure, why not," Sylia finally said with a shrug, lightly tapping her glass to Mara's.  
  
"Cheers," Mara agreed with a smile. 


	13. Chapter Ten

Part Ten  
  
"You know Bell," Linna said to Belldandy, "I just realized something." They were sitting on the couch together, the TV on more for the background noise than anyone actually watching it. Linna had her arm around Belldandy's shoulders, holding her close.  
  
"What's that?" Belldandy asked, knitting carefully. The sweater would take some more work to complete, but Linna was so pleased by it, Belldandy was determined to finish it as soon as possible. She looked up to meet Linna's smiling gaze.  
  
"Well, with Skuld down below, Sylia off wherever, and Nene and Mackie helping with Urd and Priss' big date, we're all alone here tonight," Linna said in conversational tones, with an odd twinkle in her eyes.  
  
Belldandy matched that smile, after carefully putting her knitting down beside her. "Isn't that interesting," she answered cheerfully. "So what would you like us to do about it?" Belldandy asked Linna leadingly.  
  
Linna grinned, pulling Belldandy up from the couch. "Last one in bed's a rotten egg," she grinned, then scampered off down the hall.  
  
"No fair, you cheated," Belldandy mock protested, racing down the hall after the laughing Linna. She opened the door and went into their bedroom only to freeze. Linna lay on the bed, wearing a broad smile and nothing else.  
  
Belldandy's smile matched hers as she walked towards the bed, carefully pulling her robes off. One by one, the garments fell to the floor before she climbed into bed beside her. They kissed, savoring the moment.  
  
"I love you," Linna said to Belldandy softly, nuzzling at her neck.  
  
Belldandy gasped softly, "I love you, too."  
  
  
  
The two young women at the next table over were arguing softly. The red-head seemed very passionate about whatever it was, while the blue hared girl answered her calmly. Priss noticed Urd looking at them and smiled slightly.  
  
"Don't worry," Priss said quietly, "Asuka and Rei do that all the time. I think it gives them an excuse to kiss and make up again."  
  
Urd laughed softly at that. Priss had walked her around, introducing her to all her friends. The place had a friendly atmosphere, and it was obvious that Priss was held in high regard. Urd just hoped that she could keep all the names straight.  
  
"This place is really incredible," Urd sighed softly.  
  
There were several couples dancing nearby, and Urd's eye was caught by a striking couple. The sandy hared woman was dressed in a form fitting tux, and almost looked like a very pretty boy. She escorted a gown wearing girl with aqua green hair, and the two of them seemed to fit very well together. They were almost perfect.  
  
Urd looked back across the table at Priss, meeting those brown eyes of hers steadily. She felt a suddenly spark of heat inside of her, and she fought to keep a blush from her face. "Have you brought your other girlfriends here?" she asked frankly, a little smile on her face.  
  
"Occasionally," Priss admitted. She smiled a bit, "I have so many friends here, it's kind of like bringing someone home to meet the family."  
  
Urd smiled happily. "So, I'm important enough to you to take to meet the family. Thank you, Priss. I'm honored," she smiled, taking a small drink from her glass. She got up, "I have to go to the bathroom." Priss tried to get up, but Urd gestured her back to her seat, before walking to the door marked 'Hers'.  
  
As soon as she left, Priss felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Arisugawa Juri smiled down at her and directly asked, "You're in love, aren't you?"  
  
Priss blushed under the older woman's gaze. "Yes," she admitted, "is it that obvious?" Juri sat down a moment, a grin on her face.  
  
"Only to someone who knows you," Juri answered calmly. The owner of the club sipped her drink, "You've made a good choice this time." She stopped to give Priss a thoughtful look, "Have you gotten over your 'fight or flight' impulse?"  
  
"Working on it," Priss said quietly. "She's on the rebound, so I don't want to push her," Priss said quietly.  
  
Juri gave her a 'my, you're dumb' look. "She's hanging on your every word, dressed to the nines" she shook her head and sighed, "it's obvious she likes you, Asagiri. Just make sure she knows how you feel, kid. Or you might just loose your chance."  
  
Juri looked up and then quickly got up and out of the seat, "Oops, here she comes." She patted Priss on the shoulder comfortingly, "Good luck, kid."  
  
Urd watched Juri walk away from their table with a raised eyebrow. The tall, aristocratic lady looked good, only a few streaks of gray in her long golden hair. For a moment she wondered if there had been something between her and Priss,  
  
"What was that all about?" Urd asked Priss curiously as she took her seat.  
  
Priss smiled and shrugged. "My friends approve of you," she said with a grin. "She was just giving me a bit of advice," she added softly. Priss looked at Urd, the long white hair and dusky skin making a striking package.  
  
Urd shook her head, "I doubt you'd need it." She smiled at Priss, and for a moment they both seemed lost in each other's eyes.  
  
Priss hesitated, more than a bit nervous. "I've loved having your company tonight, Urd. I was wondering if you'd..." she trailed off.  
  
"Yes?" Urd prompted her gently, taking Priss hand.  
  
"Could we make this a bit more permanent?" Priss said softly, a blush on her cheeks. "I think I'm falling for you, Urd," Priss confessed.  
  
"You're a charming devil, Priss," Urd said, and bent across the table to kiss her, softly. "I'd love to," she said softly. "And I fell a while back, myself."  
  
  
  
The two of them made their way down the nearly empty street a bit unsteadily, each leaning on the other for some support. They made an rather odd looking couple, the silver hared woman in her stylish business wear and the eclectically dressed demoness. Both clutched fairly large bottles of booze, and would occasionally wave them around a bit while trying to make a point.  
  
Sylia waved her hand in the air, coming to the end of her story. "And then," Sylia said with the cheerfulness of someone who was well on her way to being totally and completely blotto, "I kissed her." She hiccuped, covering her mouth with her hand.  
  
Mara blinked at her owlishly. "Damn," she said with a admiring smile. The equally drunk demoness stopped talking a moment to think about it. "So was Linna any good?" Mara leaned over to ask her curiously.  
  
Sylia chuckled at the memory, "Not too bad." She shook her head, and nearly lost her balance. Mara caught her, and once she recovered she said, "I think I surprised her, so it probably wasn't one of her best performances." Sylia thought about it for a moment before adding a bit blurrily, "Belldandy hasn't made any complaints."  
  
Sylia looked over at Mara a few moments later and asked curiously, "So, did you ever kiss one of your friends?"  
  
"Other than Urd?" Mara asked in reply, with a bit of bitterness in her voice. She took another large swig while she thought about it. "I did smooch Belldandy once on a dare," Mara confided to Sylia with a impish grin.  
  
"How was she?" Sylia asked before breaking out in a case of the giggles.  
  
Mara rolled her eyes, laughing at the rude question, "Oh, pretty good. I did get slapped for my trouble, though." She looked over at Sylia thoughtfully, and with the utter tactlessness that goes along with strong drink she asked, "What's with you and Priss?"  
  
Sylia smiled and shrugged sadly, a few tears glimmering in her eyes. "We had a fling back when we first met," she said, still smiling through her tears, "but we broke it off after a while." She sighed a bit sadly, "I guess we both wanted to be the one to lead, not follow." Sylia took a generous swig of her own bottle, adding "I guess I always liked having her around as an.. option. But now I guess that's gone."  
  
Mara nodded to her in sympathy. "Same here, I guess," she admitted. "It's not like our affair was going great guns before now, but it was easier knowing that I had her," she said sadly. Sylia didn't reply, so Mara looked over at her curiously.  
  
Sylia swayed there, looking at Mara more than a bit blurrily. Still smiling sunnily, Sylia slowly and gently toppled over backwards. Mara's quick reflexes let her catch her, barely, and Sylia lay limply in her arms, out cold.  
  
Mara sighed wearily before putting Sylia in a fireman's carry across her shoulders. She looked around, then stumbled off down the street.  
  
  
  
Nene looked across the table at Mackie curiously. "So what do you think of all this, anyway?" she asked quietly.  
  
"All this what?" Mackie responded mildly. He had his cellphone sitting on the table beside them, in case Priss should call them for pick up.  
  
Nene frowned at him. "The goddesses, Mara, and everything else that's going on lately," she clarified, trying not to let the other patrons of the cafe hear her. "I mean, I never believed in this sort of stuff before, and now..."  
  
Mackie nodded in sympathy. "I know what you mean," he agreed softly. He looked down at his plate thoughtful, "I guess we have to believe the evidence of our own eyes. It's real, so I guess I just have to deal with it."  
  
Nene nodded mournfully. "I guess it helps that they're all such nice people. Even that little brat Skuld," she said with a sigh.  
  
"I wouldn't say that," Mackie cautioned her. "I get the feeling crossing Urd is a very bad idea, and Mara? I just don't know about her..."  
  
"Well, she is the bad guy," Nene shrugged.  
  
Mackie sighed. "I just didn't like the way she looked at Sylia that night they met in her office," he said thoughtfully.  
  
"They what?!" Nene said, surprised. "When? Is Sylia all right?" she asked, not caring if the entire cafe could hear her.  
  
"Right before Sylia told Belldandy and Urd to turn the wards on," Mackie said, a bit surprised by her reaction. "She tried to make a deal with Mara, but she turned her down."  
  
Nene groaned and put her head in her hands. "Just the sort of thing she'd do, too," Nene sighed softly, a vexed expression on her face.  
  
Mackie looked at her helplessly, even as the cellphone began to ring. He picked it up, "Mackie here, what's up? Uh huh, OK, we'll pick you two up in about ten minutes." He put it down, "Priss and Urd want to head back to the Silky Doll."  
  
"Lets go," she said, looking at her plate a bit mournfully for a moment. She shook her head, adding "And when we get to the 'Doll I'm gonna have a little talk with Sylia about this."  
  
  
  
Sylia felt sunlight on her face, opened her eyes a crack and then groaned softly as the light bit into her half opened eyes painfully. "That is just far too bright," she mumbled, trying to pull the covers up over her head.  
  
"Sorry," a familiar voice answered her wryly, "but the hotel doesn't have very good curtains. Or much of anything else."  
  
Sylia gave up on covering herself and rolled onto her side to see Mara walking to her bedside in a sheer nightie, carrying two small cups. Sylia also quickly noted that the other side of the double bed showed signs of being recently slept on. "What is that?" Sylia asked, a horrible taste lingering in the back of her mouth.  
  
"Orange juice, and some aspirin for your hangover," Mara said, reaching over to hand her a few of the small tablets and one of the paper cups. She then took her own aspirin and followed it down by drinking whatever was in her own cup. She visibly shuddered at the taste, then said to herself with a happy sigh, "Hair of the dog that bit you."  
  
Mara's gaze lingered, and Sylia realized that she was naked beneath the sheet. She mimicked Mara's actions, then after drawing a total blank on the last evening's events had to ask her "What happened last night?"  
  
Mara looked wounded. "You don't remember our wild night of passion? I'm so hurt," she said, then grinned at Sylia's clearly horrified expression.  
  
Mara sat down on the bed beside Sylia. "We both got really drunk, you fell over from the drink, and I carried you here," she said with surprising gentleness. "Nothing else happened, sadly," Mara said with a bad girl smile.  
  
"Thanks," Sylia said softly, and blushed as the events of the night before began to come back to her. She looked at Mara thoughtfully, she wouldn't have expected the demoness to be the one who's shoulder she had cried on.  
  
"No," a small shake of the head, "thank you," Mara said softly. She smiled at Sylia, a odd expression on her face, "I think I needed the company last night, too." She looked at Sylia with a bit of concern as she quietly asked her, "Are you going to be all right?"  
  
For just a moment their gazes met like the crossing of blades, Mara's eyes full of years of lonely experience, Sylia's filled with the pain and anger that had driven her on for so very long in her war with Genom. They seemed to freeze a moment before both turned away, uncomfortable with the intimacy of the moment.  
  
"I think so," Sylia said, feeling suddenly shy. She tried to smile at Mara as the pounding in her head began to ease off.  
  
"Good," Mara said, and was suddenly fully dressed. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically, "but I've got to go." With that, she simply and silently disappeared.  
  
Sylia took a moment to finish off her orange juice before a thought occurred to her. Two, actually; first, who had undressed her last night, and second, where in Tokyo was she? 


	14. Chapter Eleven

Part Eleven  
  
Sylia walked into the Silky Doll as quietly as she could possibly manage, hoping no one would see her wearing these clothes, obviously the ones she had been wearing the day before. She looked a bit ragged, even though she was as neat and tidy as she could manage to get in the hotel's dinky little bathroom sink.  
  
The figure leapt at Sylia from the shadows, and she went into her guard position. "Where were you?" Nene cried out. Mackie stood at Nene's side, looking rather embarrassed about his girlfriend's over the top behavior.  
  
Sylia leaned in close to Nene and with a wicked smirk on her face drawled out, "Gee, Nene, I didn't know you cared."  
  
Nene jumped backwards, blushing furiously. Mackie chuckled softly even as he chided her softly, "Be nice, sis."  
  
"That's no fun," Sylia complained to him good-naturedly. She stepped into the elevator, gave them both a cheery wave and was gone.  
  
As the doors closed her expression became much more serious. 'What is it about Mara that bothers me so much?' she thought with a frown. She shook her head, smiled a little and mused 'I think I really need to go see Nigel soon.'  
  
She smiled as she heard a very familiar clearing of the throat just behind her. "Henderson!" she exclaimed, turning to her butler with a broad smile of welcome. "Did you enjoy your vacation?" she asked him cheerfully.  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Sylia, I did," her butler answered with his usual reserve. He smiled slightly, "I met your new guests as well, charming young ladies."  
  
"Good to know you think so," Sylia said dryly. She began to strip, heading for her shower. Over her shoulder she asked him, "Did Priss and Urd make it back all right?"  
  
"Yes, quite late," Henderson answered, continuing with a smile, "I believe they then retired to Urd's bedroom together."  
  
Sylia felt a small pang, which she quickly suppressed. "Good for her," she said cheerfully, and started the water running.  
  
Through the glass she saw Henderson lay out a suit of clothes and then leave, quiet as a mouse. She scrubbed; washing a day's worth of grime away, then shut the water down and climbed out. She dried herself, walked leisurely to the bathroom, and set about brushing away the taste of a hard night's drinking from her mouth. Finally feeling clean, she flopped down on a nearby couch and leaned back, letting herself relax.  
  
Sylia sat forward again, struck by a memory. She remembered Mara awkwardly carrying her into the hotel room, laying her down on the mattress. She had laid there, eyes half open, as Mara stripped down to nothing. 'Nice body,' had slowly run across her mind, as she was looking over the well-endowed demoness.  
  
Mara had looked down at her thoughtfully, "Guess I can't let you sleep in your clothes." She began the difficult task of disrobing a completely soused, not to mention rag-doll limp, Sylia. Her coat, shirt, shoes and pants had each hit the floor, Mara slowing her progress as she continued on. Finally, almost reverently, Mara had slipped Sylia's bra and panties off.  
  
Sylia remembered Mara looking down at her, sighing softly. She slid the covers back, maneuvered Sylia underneath them, and then climbed under them herself. Keeping a bit of distance between the two of them, Mara had murmured, "I can't believe I'm doing this," rolled away from Sylia, and seemed to go right to sleep.  
  
Back in the here and now, Sylia climbed off the couch and grabbed her clothes. 'She really didn't take advantage of me,' Sylia thought just a little bit regretfully as she shook out her fresh clothes. For some reason, she really felt the need to be fully dressed right now.  
  
  
  
"Good morning, love," Priss said to Urd softly. She lay beside her on the big bed, both of them covered only by the sheet.  
  
Urd's eyes opened, and she smiled at Priss happily. "I almost thought it was just a dream," she sighed softly. Her smile got a little bit wicked as she softly added, "I've fantasized about being with you often enough."  
  
Priss chuckled softly, "I'm honored." She grinned and added, "I've had a few restless nights thinking about you, too." She leaned over and whispered something into Urd's ear.  
  
The goddess chuckled, "Priss, you naughty girl." Urd rested her chin on her hand, smiling at her and trying to look as innocent as possible, "I can't believe you'd suggest such a thing after only the first date!" She paused, adding, "When would you like to try that?"  
  
Priss had looked worried to start with, but at the last she broke up laughing, Urd joining her. She was about to say something when there was a soft knocking on the bedroom door. "Let's ignore it, maybe they'll go away," Priss whispered.  
  
Sadly, the knocking continued. With a weary sigh Priss got up and grabbed a T-shirt and her boxers from the floor. Slipping them on, she opened the bedroom door just a crack to crabbily ask, "What do you want?"  
  
"Henderson's back," Linna said somewhat apologetically, "and he's serving up some breakfast pretty soon. Do you two want some?"  
  
"Save us some seats," Priss said, and noticed Linna smirking at her nighttime wear. "Hey, it's comfortable," Priss protested, quickly closing the door.  
  
"Breakfast, hmmm?" Urd said, having heard most of it. The tanned woman stood by the bed unashamed by her nakedness.  
  
"I'm tempted not to go," Priss admitted, giving Urd the visual once over.  
  
Urd laughed softly, "We'd better go eat, you know." At Priss' slightly disappointed look she added, "You'll need to build up your strength for tonight."  
  
Priss blushed, laughing softly. "Tonight is yours," Priss said softly, then somewhat more seriously, "and many nights after that."  
  
"I'm honored," Urd smiled. She leaned forward and Priss kissed her, slow and sweet. They got dressed, a little bit of slap and tickle distracting both of them momentarily, and with a bit of flush to their cheeks they headed off to breakfast arm in arm.  
  
Once they were all seated, the breakfast table looked pretty funny. Linna and Belldandy sat on one side, Priss and Urd on the other, Skuld on one end, and finally Sylia sitting at the head of the table. Nigel, as usual, was nowhere to be found, and Mackie and Nene seemed to have taken off. Henderson served the food with his usual efficiency and discretion.  
  
"Are congratulations in order?" Belldandy asked Urd pleasantly. Urd chuckled, while Priss had to fight down a sudden blush.  
  
"I hooked her at last," Urd smiled, reaching over to take Priss' hand.  
  
Skuld grimaced, and Sylia gave her a sympathetic smile. The young goddess really didn't appreciate her elder sisters' romantic activities. "Do we have to talk about this over breakfast?" Skuld asked sourly. Sylia tried hard not to chuckle.  
  
"Someday you'll fall in love," Belldandy chided Skuld gently, "and then you'll finally understand what it means." Skuld just made a face in reply.  
  
"So where were you last night?" Urd asked Sylia curiously. Sylia drank a bit of tea, considering her answer for a moment.  
  
With a little smile Sylia said, "I spent the night with Mara." The table went dead silent as everyone stared disbelievingly at her. She calmly continued, "We drank together, shared our innermost secrets, then we retired to bed!" It took a great deal of her self-control not to smile at the stunned expressions on her friends' faces.  
  
Sylia finished up her breakfast, and with a cheery smile, "I'd best get downstairs and open up the store. See you later." With a small wave, she was gone.  
  
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind Sylia, Linna blurted out to the others "I can't believe she did that!"  
  
Belldandy had a rather odd look on her beautiful face as she said a bit worriedly, "I think she was telling us the truth."  
  
"But maybe not all of the truth," Urd said with a little smile in return. She didn't elaborate, just smiled to herself slightly.  
  
Belldandy looked at her elder sister a moment, before realizing she wasn't going to explain that. With a sigh she finished her breakfast along with the others.  
  
The two couples left soon after, leaving Skuld sitting in front of her plate, a very thoughtful expression on her face. "Well," Skuld finally sighed to herself softly, "if they aren't going to do something about this, I guess I'll have to." With that she went into the elevator and down to the pit, an intense look in her eyes.  
  
  
  
Nene stretched, walking back to the Silky Doll to see Mackie. Her work with the AD Police had been quiet, only the occasional boomer malfunction breaking the boredom. The breeze ruffled her short hair, and the setting sun lit her face nicely.  
  
"Probably downstairs working with Nigel again," Nene sighed to herself. Having a boyfriend who was so into technology could be a trial at times.  
  
"Good evening," the cheery voice said from right behind her.  
  
Nene whirled, and Mara grinned at her cheekily before grabbing her and hauling her into a nearby alley. Nene yelled the first thing that came to mind, "Help! Rape!"  
  
"Hey, I'm a girl," Mara protested, quickly putting her hand over Nene's mouth. "I mean, you are kind of cute, but you're not who I'm interested in," she added with a smile.  
  
Nene struggled in Mara's grip even as the demoness bent down to press her face up against Nene's neck. 'Is she some kind of vampire, too?' Nene thought to herself frantically. She felt wet warmth against her throat, and things suddenly got very blurry.  
  
Mara's form seemed to break up, becoming a swirling mist, before flowing all around Nene's limp body. The girl stiffened, and the mist seemed to flow over and then into her body. In seconds it was gone, Nene leaning up against the alley wall for a few moments.  
  
Her eyes suddenly popped open, even as the twin marks of a demoness appeared on her brow. "Not bad," Mara said from within Nene's body, "she's a bit puny but it'll do." Mara smiled, thinking 'This is going to be fun.' 


	15. Chapter Twelve

Part Twelve  
  
She only felt a faint tingle on her skin as she passed through all the protective barriers, and Mara smiled to herself happily. 'It worked like a charm,' she smugly thought, safely hidden within Nene's body.  
  
Rummaging through Nene's more recent memories, Mara activated the hidden elevator and then descended into the hidden depths of the Silky Doll building. She quickly made her way into the computer center, and then went to work. Drawing on her own supernatural abilities and combining it with Nene's hacking skills, she combed through networks, finding and destroying all records of herself and the goddesses.  
  
'Go suck on that, Jacobson,' Mara smiled to herself.  
  
Denying him any more data was the least she could do to him. A thought struck her, she wasn't sure if it was hers or Nene's, but she rather liked it. The virus was quickly crafted, and with a flick of a switch it was on it's way to Genom's computers.  
  
Her fingers moved like a blur on the keyboard, and in moments pages of data accumulated. Soon, a complete file on Jacobson and his department had formed, which Mara then tagged with a seal only Sylia's retina pattern could open. 'She'll know what to do with this,' Mara thought.  
  
She stretched, and then Mara looked thoughtful. 'Now that I've done what I came for, the reasonable thing to do would be to get out of here and then leave this body,' she thought. A grin appeared on her face, 'But I've never liked doing the reasonable thing.'  
  
A soft knock on the door, and Mara answered, "Yes?"  
  
Sylia pushed the door open, "Oh, Nene. What are you doing?"  
  
"I was trying to do more research," Mara answered, trying not to smile, "but somehow, the data on Mara and the Goddesses has disappeared!"  
  
"What?" Sylia said, sounding rather surprised. She quickly bent over the terminal, not incidentally brushing her chest against Nene's cheek.  
  
Mara tried not to sigh at the sensation, it would be totally out of character for Nene. "Any luck?" she asked, as Sylia worked with a frown.  
  
"It's all gone," Sylia frowned. Her eyes widened as she noticed a file she hadn't seen before. A casual check showed the lock, keyed to her retina pattern.  
  
"I'll step outside," Mara volunteered. Sylia nodded absentmindedly, as Mara stepped out into the hallway and walked off to get a snack.  
  
Skuld came up the hallway, wearing what looked like a Hardsuit helmet with a lot of add-ons. It beeped softly, getting louder as she got nearer to Mara. "My demon sensor's picking up something," Skuld said eagerly. But her face fell as she realized it was just picking up Nene.  
  
"It must be on the fritz," Mara grinned.  
  
Skuld took the helmet off, and hit it with her fist. It stopped working completely after that, "Why, you!" Skuld stomped off, muttering under her breath.  
  
Mara chuckled devilishly and looked around, trying to decide what else to do. A wicked idea struck her: why not check out the competition? She headed back to the elevator, and then headed down to the repair bays, and Nigel.  
  
  
  
"And you're saying that Skuld helped build this?" Priss said, walking around the sleek, oversized motorcycle.  
  
"Yep," Nigel nodded.  
  
"It's not rigged to explode or something?" Priss asked him dubiously.  
  
"Skuld doesn't dislike you that much," Urd protested, sounding quite amused.  
  
"Urd, her idea of problem solving is tossing in one of her 'Skuld- bombs' and running," Priss said with a smile.  
  
"Ran some tests," Nigel said deadpan, "checks out fine."  
  
"Does he always talk like that?" Urd asked Priss quietly.  
  
"Pretty much," Priss answered her. She stepped up and moved to get on the bike when Nigel shook his head, no. "What?" she asked, surprised.  
  
"Supposed to be in Hardsuit," Nigel explained.  
  
Priss looked at the bike thoughtfully, realizing why it was so large. "What's with the hookups?" she asked, noticing the cables attached.  
  
"Keeps the suit charged," Nigel shrugged. He pointed out other figures in his typical style, including onboard weapon systems.  
  
"Not a bad idea," Urd admitted, looking at the bike admiringly.  
  
The elevator opened, and Nene stepped out only to stop for a moment when she saw Urd and Priss there. "Hi Priss, Urd," Mara said, smiling at them both. 'I didn't want to run into Urd,' she fretted, wondering if Urd could spot her.  
  
"Hey, Nene," Priss said absentmindedly, still focused on the bike.  
  
Urd was mostly focused on Priss, and gave Nene a little wave. Feeling a bit relieved, Mara made her way to Nigel, "Could I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
The scruffy, dark hared man looked at her, then Nigel nodded, "Sure."  
  
"I was worried about Sylia," Mara improvised.  
  
"So?" Nigel answered.  
  
Nene looked a bit surprised. 'What in the world?' Mara wondered. "You're her lover, aren't you?" she demanded.  
  
He laughed softly, surprising her. "We aren't that close," Nigel chuckled, "she and I just have sex occasionally, that's it."  
  
Mara felt surprisingly happy about that even as she made Nene ask, "You don't love her?"  
  
Nigel was about to answer that when Urd came in the room to ask him something. She froze in the doorway, her eyes widening as she blurted out, "Mara?"  
  
"Oh, hell," Mara sighed and the demon marks suddenly manifested on Nene's face. She made a short gesture, throwing an energy bolt to knock Urd off balance. Mara bolted for the nearby elevator, but Priss moved to try and stop her. She dropped to the floor, and performed a perfect sweep kick to knock Priss to the floor. She dove into the elevator, slamming the door shut behind her before they could reach her.  
  
"What's going on?" Nigel calmly asked as both of them completely ignored him. Urd picked Priss up and wrapped her arms around her, then flew both of them up through the roof after Nene. "Never mind," he sighed, and set off the internal alarms.  
  
Linna and Belldandy scrambled out of their bed, Linna frantically searching for her clothes. Belldandy glowed a moment, then was fully clothed. "I'll find out what's going on," she volunteered.  
  
"Be carefully," Linna cautioned, quickly pulling her pants on.  
  
Mara grinned, running for the front doors, when Sylia stepped out to block it. "Is that you, Mara?" Sylia asked her calmly.  
  
Mara didn't answer verbally, but instead exploded free of Nene's body. "Ah, that's better," Mara sighed, stretching in her true body. She smiled at Sylia, "How's the hangover?"  
  
"Don't move," Sylia cautioned her, shooting a concerned glance at Nene's prone body. Mara used that momentary distraction to grab her close, and Sylia found herself looking up into brown eyes. Surprisingly soft brown eyes at that.  
  
"It's been fun," Mara chuckled, and then she kissed her vigorously. Sylia struggled for a moment, but found herself enjoying the experience. "See you soon," Mara laughed, and was out the door and gone.  
  
"Damn," Sylia swore softly, shaking her head.  
  
Belldandy, Priss and Urd all arrived at roughly the same time to find a scowling Sylia waiting for them. "What happened?" Belldandy asked them quietly, even as Linna came around the corner, her shirt half on and half off.  
  
"Come on," Sylia growled, "we've got things to talk about." 


	16. Chapter Thirteen

Part Thirteen  
  
"Genom's interested in trying to capture a goddess?" Linna said, throwing a concerned glance over at Belldandy, who was pouring them all cups of tea.  
  
"That's impossible, isn't it?" Priss asked.  
  
Skuld had a very worried look on her face. "Not really," she admitted. She nodded towards Nene, "She was able to disrupt something Mara set up, and her powers aren't all that different from a goddess', really."  
  
"The file was manufactured by Mara," Sylia cautioned them all, "so I don't consider the data to be entirely trustworthy. But even so, it certainly is a point of concern."  
  
"Mara, in my experience, doesn't normally lie," Belldandy pointed out quietly.  
  
"Assuming they try something like that, we'll stop them," Urd said, making it a statement, not a question at all. There were nods of agreement all around.  
  
"We may need to assault Genom's Tokyo headquarters, at least," Nene said thoughtfully, looking ahead to that fateful day. She added with a smile, "We'll need a plan."  
  
"I've already been working on one," Sylia said. It was strange, but she seemed quite distracted, somehow. Almost as if there was something more important on her mind.  
  
"Leave it to Sylia to plan ahead," Linna smiled.  
  
The silver hared woman didn't answer. Instead, Sylia suddenly got up, "Skuld, could you help me with something?"  
  
The young goddess looked a bit startled by the abrupt question, but Skuld gamely answered her, "Sure, I'd be glad to."  
  
"What do you want us to do?" Priss asked, realizing that something might be up.  
  
"Stick close to the Silky Doll," Sylia said as she led Skuld towards the elevator, "just in case." The doors closed behind them even as she called Nigel, "Meet us in the hardsuit lab."  
  
"What do you need my help with?" Skuld asked Sylia as the elevator descended.  
  
"Some modifications to the hardsuits," Sylia said, adding more quietly, "I just hope we're not already too late."  
  
The doors opened and Nigel was waiting for them. "Skuld, could you give us a minute?" he asked her. He looked Sylia in the eye, "We got to talk."  
  
  
  
Jacobson looked at the image on his viewscreen, and fought to hide the nervousness he was feeling. "We should be ready for a trial run within hours," Jacobson assured him.  
  
"I hope so," Quincy said softly, and the image cut out.  
  
"The containment vessel's ready," Megumi reported to Jacobson quietly. All of them were a bit shaken to hear from Quincy himself, and it showed.  
  
Fairchild pushed a computer disk over the table to him, "This should be the code we need to achieve access. No guarantees, though."  
  
"Today's as good a day as any," Hitomi reported, pushing her long hair back. "The outlook on this isn't good, though," she said as she laid her Tarot cards out.  
  
"We've got a deadline," Jacobson sighed, "so let's get to it."  
  
His team scattered, even as Jacobson himself took a walk around what could be considered to be his masterpiece. The computers worked silently, auto-dialing randomly in hopes of connecting to that one number they needed. If they reached a higher power, the codes devised by Fairchild would force down the being they sought, causing it to manifest on this physical plane. Finally, the being would be channeled into the containment device, unable to be released until they let it go.  
  
Jacobson tried not to think about what would happen once they actually had one. He had very few illusions about the character of his superiors in Genom, or of it's head, Quincy. Up until now, it had all been an academic exercise, a series of possibilities. Now, things were happening, and he wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing.  
  
He noticed Hitomi was still sitting at the table, and her face was awfully pale. "What's wrong?" Jacobson asked her softly.  
  
She held up two cards, and a odd smikle twisted her lips as Hitomi said, "I drew these as the result cards: The Tower, and Death."  
  
Jacobson sighed softly, "Great, just great."  
  
  
  
"We're a bit busy right now, Nigel," Sylia said, frowning at the normally quiet man.  
  
"Won't take long," Nigel said quietly. "Had a little talk with Mara earlier," he explained. He saw Sylia's face pale, and asked, "What's going on?"  
  
"I'm.. not sure," Sylia admitted softly. "Mara seems to be somewhat interested in me, but I don't think that's terribly relevant," she defended herself.  
  
"She was worried about you," Nigel said, then he smiled as he added "she wanted to know if I was in love with you."  
  
Sylia looked quite startled at that, covering with, "I hope you told her we're both madly in love, of course."  
  
He gave her a look, then Nigel said quietly, "Mara really likes you, Sylia. You might want to start thinking about that more seriously." He left her then, walking over to stand by Skuld and to give Sylia a bit of time to recover.  
  
'Think about it,' Sylia thought shakily, 'I've been doing nothing else since that kiss!' Mara had grabbed her on the way out, kissing her energetically, and even now Sylia felt her lips tingle a bit with the memory.  
  
She shook herself, and visibly worked to try to get ahold of herself. She walked over to Skuld and Nigel, on the outside looking like her normally cool, composed self. "I've studied the readings of Mara's power usages from the construction site, and I think we can rig up some shielding units." Sylia explained to them.  
  
"Gonna need more than shields," Nigel noted.  
  
Skuld nodded fiercely, a broad smile on her face, "I've got just the thing!" Then she began calling up files on Sylia's computer screen.  
  
"Very nice," Sylia smiled.  
  
Upstairs, a small council of war was taking place amound the others, while Henderson poured the tea for them as needed. Urd and Belldandy were mostly urging caution, though Urd didn't seem all that adverse to a good fight. Mackie and Nene were for taking a wait and see approach to the situation. And both Linna and Priss were all for a pre-emptive strike, going in to smash the equipment Genom had built before it could be built.  
  
"Finding where they are would be the biggest problem," Priss noted.  
  
"Maybe not," Nene said thoughtfully. "I remember how Mara hacked Jacobson's systems while she was in my body, and I bet I could do it again," she smiled.  
  
"Assuming Jacobson hasn't fixed his defences," Mackie cautioned.  
  
"We don't even know if they have any working technology," Belldandy cautioned them.  
  
"No way Mara would be that worried unless they at least have the technology ready," Urd said, shaking her head. "Why else would she have gone to all that trouble to give us the information?" she asked them.  
  
"I thought Mara was here to see Sylia," Linna smiled. At that, a bit of a flush appeared on Urd's cheeks, as if she wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of Mara being with Sylia. "She could just want us to attack Genom for kicks, you know," Linna pointed out.  
  
"Somehow, I doubt that," Priss admitted.  
  
  
  
Mara smiled to herself, even as she stepped into the little apartment she had... appropriated, a few weeks ago. 'Everyone needs a base of operations,' she thought.  
  
Her expression became more serious, considering the situation. The last time she had snuck into Genom, she had seen what Jacobson's team was working on, and it even scared her. If they could actually pull off trapping a higher being, the balance of power between the Gods and Demons would never be the same.  
  
A face appeared before her minds eye, fierce but beautiful, framed by silver hair. 'And then there's Sylia,' Mara though, flopping down in her chair. It was getting harder and harder just to play around with her, Mara wanted something... else from her.  
  
"Wish I'd been able to talk to Nigel longer," Mara murmured aloud. She hadn't expected that Nigel and Sylia weren't in lone. The man didn't seem to deeply care for her at all, in fact.  
  
'But does that mean she could care for someone like me?' Mara mused. When they had talked, Sylia had admitted an attraction to Priss, but that was in the past. A slight smile quirked Mara's lips, thinking about the motel, and Sylia's sleeping form.  
  
"Sort of wish I'd taken advantage of her then," Mara admitted to herself. It had taken a great deal of will power not to take advantage of Sylia while she was stripping her naked. It was even harder to go asleep beside her, knowing that she was laying naked inches away from her.  
  
She shook her head, and Mara sighed out, "I guess I've got it bad for her." 


	17. Chapter fourteen

Part Fourteen  
  
"Contact!" Fairchild reported frantically, "We've got contact!"  
  
"Let's do this by the numbers, people," Jacobson said calmly, monitoring the situation from his center console. The dial up was starting, and the codes were being sent along the phone line to be received by their target.  
  
"I'm detecting... something materializing inside the containment chamber," Megumi said even as she worked her controls to bring up an image of the chamber on a nearby video screen. It took a moment, seconds that seemed to pass like hours, but she did it.  
  
Light danced inside it, glowing brighter and brighter. The outline of a human form slowly began to appear, forming out of the particles of light itself, becoming more and more visible as the seconds ticked past. Clearly female, she had short hair with two long tails, the goddess symbol clearly visible on her brow.  
  
'A brow,' Jacobson noted, 'that was clearly furrowed in anger.'  
  
"What's going on?" she asked in what sounded like a French accent. She looked around and demanded, "Release me, this instant!"  
  
The crew looked at her silently for a moment, digesting what they had just accomplished. Hitomi was visibly pale, as was Fairchild. Megumi concentrated on her controls, but even the older mechanic seemed shaken.  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't do that," Jacobson said to her quietly. He activated the inter-office communications system to call Quincy.  
  
"What is it?" the gray hared, wizened old man asked him softly.  
  
"We've got one," Jacobson reported.  
  
A smile, and Quincy said, "I'll be right down."  
  
  
  
The telephone rang, and the conversation stopped. Linna got up to answer it, when Belldandy stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Let me," she said quietly. Urd was looking at her, her eyes wide, and the others felt themselves tense up at well.  
  
Priss and Linna exchanged glances, "What in the world?"  
  
Belldandy put the phone up to her ear, and her eyes widened. "Yes," she said, "yes, I understand." More softly, "It's certain? Yes, yes, I know. We'll do what we can." She pout the phone down, her face bone pale.  
  
Linna quickly got up to stand by her side, gently taking Belldandy by the shoulders. "Bell, who is it? What did they want?" she asked.  
  
Belldandy smiled up at Linna gratefully, then she turned to the others to say, "Central processing just called. Jacobson's done it. They've captured a goddess."  
  
Dead silence, then Mackie got up. "I'll tell Sylia," he said quietly, and ran for the elevator.  
  
"Do we know who it was?" Urd asked Belldandy quietly.  
  
"Peorth," Belldandy said softly, and Urd winced. "She's an old friend of ours," she explained to Priss and Linna.  
  
"It'll be all right," Priss said softly, putting her arm across Urd's shoulders.  
  
Urd shrugged the comforting arm off before looking up at her angrily. "How do you know that?" she demanded.  
  
"Because there's no way I'm letting Quincy keep a goddess," Priss replied, keeping calm. "And I'm sure Sylia will have us do everything she can to save her," she added.  
  
"That's correct," Sylia said, coming out of the elevator with Nigel, Skuld and Mackie right behind her.  
  
"We've added some shielding to the hardsuits," Skuld reported, "but the new weapons systems haven't been installed just yet, and I don't think we're going to have time."  
  
"So do we armor up and go?" Linna asked, standing by Belldandy's side. The woman looked both strong and determined, ready to take on whatever was coming.  
  
"No, not yet," Sylia shook her head. "There's something I have to do first," she added.  
  
Belldandy frowned slightly, "What's that?"  
  
"I could use your help, actually," Sylia said to her. She smiled slightly as she continued, "I need your help to try and find Mara."  
  
Dead silence, then several voices at once, "What?!"  
  
  
  
"She looks so... human," Quincy noted as he used his motorized wheelchair to circle the containment chamber.  
  
Jacobson nodded. "Human belief defines beings like this," he mused aloud, "so I suppose it makes sense that they would bear human forms." He tried to avoid meeting the pleading glance of the Goddess, and she frowned in anger.  
  
"Release me at once," Peorth demanded. She raised her hand and tossed another energy bolt against the walls of her prison, but it dissipated on impact.  
  
"The electromagnetic containment fields are all holding strong," Megumi reported from where she was standing at the monitoring station. 'But that was a lot stronger than I was expecting,' she thought grimly.  
  
"Very nice work," Quincy said to Jacobson softly. He went to the front of the container and addressed her, "I've called you here for a reason. I want you to restore my health and vigor as well as grant me immortality."  
  
"We Goddesses grant wishes to those of pure heart," Peorth said, "those who's actions have earned the granting of wishes." She looked Quincy over, then with a sniff of disdain, "You, however, have done no such thing."  
  
"I would advise you to reconsider," Quincy said, and pressed down on a control mounted on the arm of his chair.  
  
Peorth screamed, energy coursing through the chamber in surges, wracking her slim form. She jerked back and forth, slamming against the walls of the chamber until the energy stopped.  
  
"That wasn't on my design plans," Jacobson forced out past his shock.  
  
Quincy smiled, "Some of my techs added it later, in case what we summoned proved to be reluctant." He looked over at Peorth, "Will you grant my wish?"  
  
"no," Peorth said softly, kneeling on the bottom of the container.  
  
"Then we'll have to try again," Quincy shrugged, and pressed the control.  
  
"I didn't sign up for this," Fairchild whispered to Jacobson quietly. They had gathered a little ways from where Quincy sat, pretending to check the readings. Jacobson looked at Megumi and Hitomi, and saw similarly grim expressions.  
  
"Neither did I," Megumi said firmly. "We've got to stop this, sir," she said to him grimly.  
  
Jacobson nodded, "I didn't expect this." His eyes narrowed in thought, as he considered what they could do.  
  
  
  
"I still don't think this is a good idea," Belldandy said as they walked down the hall to Mara's rooms. Finding her hadn't been too hard, to some extent Belldandy could feel where the demoness' energies were.  
  
"Maybe not," Sylia answered, "but she knows about Jacobson, and I doubt her superiors will be happy about this either." They reached the door, and at Belldandy's nod Sylia knocked loudly.  
  
The door was flung open, and Mara demanded, "What took you?"  
  
"You got a call as well?" Sylia deduced.  
  
Mara nodded grimly, "My boss is having fits. Human were enough trouble binding us with magic without their discovering a scientific method." She paused, and looked over at Belldandy, "Who did they grab?"  
  
"Peorth," Belldandy answered, and Mara began to curse softly. "We all used to hand out together, years ago," she sighed.  
  
"Are you all going after her?" Mara asked Sylia.  
  
"Yes," Sylia answered, "as soon as possible."  
  
The television crackled to life suddenly, "Something unusual is happening around Genom's Tokyo branch. What look like fireworks have been seen from blocks away, and Genom does not seem to be answering any attempts at communication. AD Police are moving in to investigate..."  
  
"We'd better move fast," Belldandy said quietly.  
  
Even as she spoke, Sylia was on the speed dial. "Mackie, get everyone loaded in the truck and head for Genom! We'll meet you en-route," she barked. She looked at Belldandy, then her eyes met Mara's. They both paused a moment, then Sylia quietly said, "Let's move." 


	18. Chapter Fifteen

Part Fifteen  
  
They raced down to the street, and Mara whistled softly upon seeing Sylia's sports car sitting out there. "Nice," she admitted.  
  
Belldandy climbed into the back, leaving the front seats to Sylia and Mara. Sylia flashed her a greatful smile as she settled into the driver's seat before turning to ask Mara, "So who exactly is this Jacobson, anyway?"  
  
Mara settled into the passenger's side, taking the oportunity to flash Sylia a look at her upper thigh. "He's a maverick scientist who became convinced that certain mythic beings were real," she explained. "He made various attempts to prove it, but he was only met with ridicule by the mainstream scientific community," she sighed.  
  
Sylia squealed the tires as they accelerated away. She stayed focused on the road, "So to persue his theories, he went to Genom for assistance. But how did he manage to sell them on his radical ideas, anyway?"  
  
"He put the focus on the potential for controlling such beings," Mara sighed. She paused, adding thoughtfully, "I also got the impression that there was some significant pressure in his favor coming from upstairs, too."  
  
"Quincy," Sylia said, her fingers tightening on the wheel. More quietly, "How much trouble are we all in, if she grants him a wish?"  
  
"It won't happen," Belldandy stuck her head up between the seats.  
  
"A goddess won't grant a wish to someone who is unworthy," Mara quietly added, finishing sadly, "they'd die, first."  
  
A soft, painful sound came from Belldandy, and Sylia awkwardly reached backwards to gently pat her hand. "That won't happen," Sylia said, "I promise that we'll do everything we can to save her."  
  
Mara met Sylia's eyes, nodding. "We'll save her," she echoed.  
  
  
  
The Silky Doll truck bombed down the side streets, probably going much faster than was safe. Urd grinned, twisting the wheel, "Whoo-hoo!"  
  
Mackie cluched the dashboard, "Are you sure this is a shortcut?"  
  
"Of course I'm sure," Urd smiled. She paused, "Well, mostly sure."  
  
"I'll go back and see how things are going," Mackie volunteered. He carefully balanced as he made his way back, the vehicle twisting and turning wildly.  
  
Linna doned her armor silently, her expresion grim, looking almost incomplete without Belldandy standing nearby her. She looked up and smiled, "We nearly there?"  
  
"Assuming Urd doesn't crash the truck," Mackie sighed.  
  
Nene twisted around, trying to see Skuld kneeling behind her. "What are you doing to my suit?" Nene growled at her.  
  
"Trying to finish the upgrades," Skuld shot back, "though I hope we won't need them."  
  
"Upgrades?" Nene echoed.  
  
"I'm trying to tweak your systems so that you'll be able to pick up the energies we goddesses and demons use," Skuld explained patiently. "We might just need it, if things get bad and crazy in there," she sighed softly.  
  
Urd grinned out the window as Priss easily kept pace with them on her brand new bike. The hardsuit clad figure was low to the ground, cutting through the air like a bullet on her sleek, Skuld designed transport.  
  
"Have I told everybody yet that I really love this bike?" Priss' quite enthusiastic voice came over the radio.  
  
"Yes, you have," Urd laughed.  
  
"You're welcome," Skuld shouted from in back.  
  
They slowed, and gradually both the truck and Priss' cycle came to a stop a few blocks from Genom's Tokyo branch. "This is about as close as we should get," Mackie said to Urd quietly. They all got out of the truck, standing nearby to look at what was going on.  
  
The family of warehouses and office buildings was surrounded by a soft glow, even as a column of white light shot from the center of the facilities into the darkening skies. AD Police forces were scattered around the buildings, but strangely they couldn't seem to get any closer.  
  
"What's going on?" Linna asked quietly.  
  
"Some kind of mystical barrier," Urd frowned.  
  
Sylia's sports car came around the corner, coasting to a stop nearby. Sylia and Mara both leapt out, but Belldandy seemed to be having some trouble. Linna stepped forward to help, and recieved a greatful smile.  
  
Mara looked towards the buildings and began to swear softly. "Just about as bad as I thought," she growled softly.  
  
"And how much of this is your fault?" Skuld asked with a frown.  
  
"Some," Mara surprised her by admitting, "that's part of why I'm here to help." She squinted a bit, "That's one powerful mystic barrier."  
  
"It's certainly stoping the AD Police cold," Sylia noted. She looked at the three goddesses as well as Mara, "Any ideas on how to get through it?"  
  
"Maybe," Urd volunteered with a smile.  
  
  
  
Jacobson winced visibly, as he heard the goddess begin to cry. Hitomi gave him a sympathetic glance, but he completely ignored her. 'How could I have blinded myself so badly?' he thought, watching as Quincy continued to shock the crying figure.  
  
"Megumi?" Jacobson said quietly.  
  
The mechanic came forward, her expression visiblty angry. Not that anyone could blame her, considering that the goddess was being tortured in a chamber she had helped build. "What?" she asked him curtly.  
  
"Do you think you and Fairchild can rig one of our recon drones to find someone and deliver a message?" he asked.  
  
Fairchild exchanged a glance with Megumi, "Probably. Who?"  
  
"Mara, or the Knight Sabers," Jacobson answered calmly.  
  
There was a moment of nearly dead silence, then a smile stretched Megumi's featuires. "It'll take us five minutes, tops," she quickly promised him, grabbing Fairchild's hand in hers and heading for her work shop.  
  
"We've got to buy her some time," Hitomi murmured to Jacobson softly.  
  
"I know," he answered, and walked towards where Quincy sat. Jacobson cleared his throat, "Maybe you should give her a rest."  
  
"And why would I want to do that?" Quincy said, not turning away from gazing at the captrive goddess.  
  
"To give her some time to consider her options," Jacobson said, trying to make his voice as cold as possible, "further pain, or granting your wish."  
  
At that, Quincy paused to look up at him thoughtfully. "A good point," he admitted. He looked at the goddess, "A little time." He moved his hand away from the shock control, but didn't choose to put it away.  
  
  
  
Urd and Belldandy stood bracketing the four Knight Sabers as they spoke, the words foreign but strangely beautiful. Light danced around the armored figures, then symbols began to appears on the hardsuits, patterns being etched into the very metal. They glowed brightly, flaring white, then simply faded away.  
  
"That ought to do it," Urd smiled.  
  
Sylia looked at the arm of her armor, her expression odd. "That felt interesting," she noted before asking, "With the modifications to the suits, this will get us through the barrier?"  
  
"It should," Belldandy nodded.  
  
Priss smiled at Urd, "Thanks."  
  
Mara looked away from them, and noticed Sylia giving her a sympathetic glance. "Are we all ready to go?" Sylia asked the others.  
  
A soft hum, and something dropped into the middle of the group. The recon drone hovered there, then a small video screen deployed from it. A man's face appeared, and Mara's eyes widened. "Jacobson," she blinked.  
  
"It you're seeing this, I assume you're either Mara or one of the Knight Sabers," Jacobson's recorded message said. "Quincy has captured a goddess, and she's being held in the sub-basement of the Tokyo branch," he paused, and blueprints came up on the screen, tracing a route into the building, concluding with, "please, rescue her."  
  
"Looks like we might just have some help inside," Nene said hopefully.  
  
"I won't be betting on it," Priss said wryly.  
  
"Let's go," Sylia said softly, and they were off.  
  
  
  
"Would somebody mind telling me why we can't get in there?" Leon growled.  
  
"Don't blow a gasket, Leon," Daley said. "The tech boys will figure out how to get us in soon," he reassured him.  
  
"Look who's here," Leon murmured, seeing the Knight Sabers bounding towards them. Oddly, four young women were jumping along with the armored figures, keeping up with them just fine. "This ought to be good," he smiled as they headed towards the barrier.  
  
The women leapt at the barrier, Leon held his breath... and they went right through it. He began to swear violently, even as Daley sweatdropped. 


	19. Chapter Sixteen

Part Sixteen  
  
"The security systems will pick us up fairly quickly," Sylia said tersely as they charged towards the base of the tower. From around the faculty alarms began to wail their keening cries, and Sylia sighed, "Like, now."  
  
"Great," Mara smiled, "this has been way too easy so far. I could use a good fight."  
  
Nene noticed Urd and Priss looking similarly eager and sighed. Then she caught something on her sensors, "You may just get your chance. Boomers, inbound!"  
  
"How many?" Linna asked.  
  
"Ten or so," Nene answered.  
  
"I think I can handle them," Skuld volunteered with a smile, "but I can't fly very fast. I'll need a lift to catch up."  
  
"Nene, you mind?" Priss asked her.  
  
With a dramatic sounding sigh Nene said, "All right." Skuld climbed on to Nene's back and they began to jump towards the oncoming boomers. "How, exactly, are you going to handle them?" Nene thought to ask.  
  
Skuld smiled, "Wait and see." She looked around, "We're near enough, I think. Set us down on that rooftop."  
  
Nene brought them down as gently as possible. The boomers were all running in perfect synch, bearing some very formidable looking weapons. "Whatever you're going to do," Nene whispered, "I hope you do it soon, please."  
  
Skuld jumped up to her feet, waving her arm in the air and yelling, "Hey, tin-heads! We're over here!" As she waved her arm, it seemed that she was scattering something small and round but Nene couldn't see what it was.  
  
"Are you insane!" Nene squeaked.  
  
Skuld kept smiling, watching as the small mob of boomers charged towards them. "Closer... closer..." she murmured. She pulled a big, round object from her robes, pressed the side and tossed it, yelling, "Skuld bombs away!"  
  
Nene grabbed her and pulled her to cover even as a massive explosion went off! "You tossed little bombs down," Nene said softly, "and set them off with that big one."  
  
Skuld grinned at her, "Yep." They looked over the edge to see a very big crater where the boomers were standing. "Nene, could you do me a favor?" Skuld asked, pulling a handful of the bombs from her pockets.  
  
Nene looked at the bombs, wide eyed. "Maybe," she said tentatively.  
  
"I'll put these on a timer," Skuld said patiently, "and I want you to pitch them towards the other end of the complex."  
  
Nene began to smile, "So they think we're attacking there, not our actual route."  
  
"Exactly," Skuld smiled back.  
  
  
  
"What's causing all those explosions?" Sylia asked. They reached the base of the tower, and Linna tried to open the door.  
  
"Locked," Linna frowned, and prepared to cut the lock away.  
  
"Wait," Urd stopped her. She touched the door frowning in concentration, and a soft 'click; was heard. "We might as well try to go in quietly," she smiled.  
  
Nene and Skuld caught up with them, strangely both of them were covered with soot. "What in the world happened to you?" Belldandy asked.  
  
Nene shot a intense glare at Skuld. "A certain person," she said dryly, "doesn't know how to set a timer properly."  
  
"I said I was sorry," Skuld shrugged.  
  
"I don't think I want to know," Priss remarked. She looked down the corridor, her stance like a runner about to leave the blocks, "Can we go, now?"  
  
"Let's," Mara grinned ferally.  
  
Sylia coolly said, "Be cautious, please. Especially Mara and the Goddesses."  
  
"I didn't know you cared," Mara whispered to Sylia, who blushed.  
  
"I think she means," Linna said with a sigh, "that Genom might just have a few weapons that can hurt you all, courtesy of Jacobson's research." As she spoke she looked over at Belldandy, who smiled at her reassuringly.  
  
"I'm not letting you take all the risks," Urd looked at the Knight Sabers fiercely, "this is our fight, too." A gentle hand on her arm, and she turned to see Priss with her visor up.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of stopping you," Priss smiled, "just don't take any foolish risks."  
  
"If you're all done with the mushy stuff," Skuld sighed, "could we get going, please?"  
  
"Priss and I will take point," Sylia said with a nod, and they were off. Right behind the two of them Mara and Urd followed, Skuld and Nene were next in line, and Linna and Belldandy took up the rear, watching for any pursuit.  
  
Laser units popped up from the walls, and Priss found herself firing almost instinctively. Energy bolts from Urd and Mara followed it, and the way was cleared. A boomer wandered in their path, and Sylia's blades flashed.  
  
"How are you holding up?" Linna asked Belldandy softly.  
  
"I'm all right," Belldandy smiled back at her, "I'm just so worried about Peorth." More softly, "I hope we can reach her soon."  
  
"I'm surprised there hasn't been a bit more resistance," Nene said to the others worriedly.  
  
  
  
Megumi reached across they control panel, manually shutting down the alarms for their entire section. With everything that she had done to the computers, nobody in the entire block even knew that they were under attack yet. Jacobson carefully made his way to her, and she smiled at him as she whispered, "Everything's under control."  
  
He adjusted his suit nervously, before finally pulling off his jacket in disgust. "Are the new K-suits ready?" Jacobson asked her softly, loosening his tie.  
  
The gray haired woman nodded slightly, "They should be ready to go." Megumi added, "Do you really think we'll need them?"  
  
Jacobson looked at Quincy, gazing with longing at the captive goddess. "I can't delay him much longer," he sighed.  
  
Hitomi made her way to his side, "Supernatural forces are building around us. I can promise you that the goddesses are on the move."  
  
Quincy rolled over to them, "What's the situation?"  
  
"Containment's holding firm," Fairchild reported.  
  
"Then I think it's time we began the persuasion again," Quincy smiled bleakly.  
  
"We need to be cautious, sir," Jacobson improvised, "I'm not sure how much damage she can take, before she begins to discorporate."  
  
"We'll just have to take that risk," Quincy snarled, "she will grant my wish!" A wrinkled finger stabbed down on a button, and Peorth howled in pain.  
  
There was a flicker of movement, and Jacobson saw something on a upper balcony. Several levels above them, a group of armored figures and young women looked down at them. "At last," he murmured softly. 


	20. Chapter Seventeen

Part Seventeen  
  
Mara looked down several levels, and snarled angrily. She, Urd , Skuld and Belldandy all looked pained, almost as if they could feel the pain of the goddess just below them. "Let's go," Mara said grimly, only to be stopped by Sylia.  
  
"Look all around the room," Sylia pointed out quietly.  
  
Linna followed her gaze and began to swear softly. Some kind of military grade Boomers, lots of them, were lining the walls of the chamber all ready to be deployed. "At least twelve or so," she murmured softly.  
  
"At least," Nene echoed faintly.  
  
Urd looked at Mara, Linna, Priss and Sylia, "We can take them, I think."  
  
Priss grinned, "The big one's mine."  
  
"Which big one?" Urd grinned back at her.  
  
Sylia rolled her eyes at that. "Nene, Skuld, I want you two to go get Peorth out of that torture chamber Quincy has her in," she ordered. A pause, "Belldandy, can you keep Quincy and any of his people busy?"  
  
Belldandy nodded, her expression as grave as Linna had ever seen on her, "Of course." Linna looked ready to argue, but Belldandy smiled at her gently, "We each have our parts to play, m'love."  
  
Linna smiled, "Just be careful."  
  
Sylia met each of their eyes a moment, "I don't have to tell you how important this is." A smile, "Let's go down there ad make Quincy regret ever calling down a goddess." With that, she leapt over the railing and dived to the floor below.  
  
"Let's go!" Linna echoed, and in moments all of them were falling together.  
  
Quincy nearly had a heart attack as they dropped into the middle of the lab. "The Knight Sabers?!" he rasped out.  
  
The combat Boomers began to move, each one nearly three times the height of one of the Knight Sabers, heavily armored and carrying large weapons. Thankfully, they were also about as slow as they were big, a bit clumsy, too.  
  
Urd rose into the air, glowing brightly as power built up all around her, centering around her hands. "Urd bolts, strike," she cried, casting a ball of lightning at the lumbering Boomer. The bolt slowed in the air, almost as if it hit something, then the Boomer was engulfed in an explosion. A crater was all that was left.  
  
"They're shielded," Mara frowned even as she ran at another Boomer. She leapt up onto it's shoulders before crying out, "Demon's Curse!" It stood there stock still for a moment, then it simply crumbled to dust.  
  
Quincy glared as Belldandy walked towards him, "Stay back."  
  
"This can end now," Belldandy said, holding his attention as Skuld and Nene made their way to the containment chamber, "just let Peorth go."  
  
"Not until she grants my wish," Quincy growled. He looked around wildly, "Jacobson! Where are you?"  
  
"Let her go, sir," Jacobson said calmly. He had ditched his suit jacket and his hair was in disarray as he added, "It's time to cut your losses."  
  
Priss clambered up to reach the Boomer's head, "Say goodnight!" Her railgun discharged, and the head simply exploded.  
  
Linna leapt, her cables snaking out to slice an arm free. She grabbed the cannon it had carried, pointed it, and then pulled the oversized trigger. The recoil nearly blew her off her feet, but the Boomer dropped like a stone. "I have got to get me one of these," Linna joked.  
  
"Not terribly elegant," Sylia noted. She leapt up and over the Boomer, her blades flashing as she cut the primary feeds, and the Boomer froze, paralyzed.  
  
Nene scanned the chamber, even as Skuld nearly climbed inside the casing. "The EM fields are all over the place," she noted.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," Skuld complained as she worked furiously. Then a soft, "Oh, dear."  
  
"What?" Nene asked, then she spotted it on her sensors, "Oh, hell."  
  
The floor shook, and three women in armored K-suits came in, bearing weapons like the Boomers carried. "Looks like our playmates have reinforcements," Urd growled from the middle of three Boomers. One suited figure raised it's weapon...  
  
...and mowed down a Boomer. "Hitomi, you take that side," Megumi growled, "Fairchild and I will take the other side."  
  
Quincy glared at Jacobson, who was smiling slightly. "Your betrayal wasn't unexpected," he finally sighed, "but I had hopes."  
  
"Give it up, sir," Jacobson said calmly.  
  
Sylia left the Boomer mopping up to the others and dropped in to ask, "Nene, Skuld, how are things going?"  
  
"Not good," Nene sighed.  
  
"That bastard rigged this thing with a bomb," Skuld said, only her backside visible as she studied the device.  
  
"Very good," Quincy smiled. "I can detonate the device from here, and it will go off if you attempt to free her," he continued, "so I would recommend stopping any such attempts."  
  
"Let her go," Belldandy said softly.  
  
Quincy shook his head, "Not until my wish is granted."  
  
"What do you want?" Mara surprised them all by asking.  
  
Quincy looked at her thoughtfully, "Ultimate power, and to live forever."  
  
Mara met his eyes, her own glowing softly. "I'll grant your wish," she finally said. "Let her go," she said softly.  
  
"No," Sylia whispered, her eyes wide.  
  
"How do I know I can trust you?" Quincy frowned. "Will you swear by your name?" he asked as Jacobson had told him to.  
  
Mara nodded, "I, Mara, swear to fulfill your wish, in exchange for your freeing the goddess Peorth. I so swear by my name."  
  
"It's good to do business with a reasonable person," Quincy smiled, hitting another switch on his chair. There was a loud click, and the side of the chamber opened, spilling Peorth out. Jacobson stepped forward to catch her, just barely in time.  
  
"Don't do this," Sylia grabbed Mara's arm.  
  
The demoness surprised her by smiling gently, "It's going to be all right." Mara slipped free, standing in front of Quincy. She knelt down, placing her hands on his shoulders as she smiled, "Your wish is granted."  
  
Quincy began to glow, a smile appearing on his face. Shining brightly, he stood out of his wheelchair, the light obscuring his face. "This is wonderful," he sighed, then in a darker tone of voice, "and now for you..." then he stopped.  
  
"Before he attacks, we go for him," Linna said, stepping in front of Belldandy protectively.  
  
"Right," Priss agreed grimly.  
  
Strangely, both Belldandy and Urd looked sorrowful, as if something terrible had happened. "That won't be necessary," Belldandy sighed.  
  
The light from Quincy grew brighter and brighter, and he began to sound alarmed, "Wait! What's happening?" He began to expand, the light shifting and pulsing beneath his skin, his eyes bulging, "No, this isn't what I...."  
  
Then he exploded in a burst of light and fire.  
  
Belldandy, Urd, Mara and Nene blocked as much as they could, but the blast still knocked them around some. "Thanks for modifying my suit," Nene managed to say to Skuld.  
  
Mara was laying above Sylia, shielding her with her own body. "You knew that would happen," Sylia realized.  
  
Mara nodded grimly, "No human can contain ultimate power for long. And he is immortal, immortal vapor, anyway."  
  
"Almost a fitting punishment," Sylia admitted.  
  
Jacobson carefully shifted, keeping Peorth shielded by his own body. Her voice was faint, so low he could barely hear it, "The wish was yours."  
  
"What?" Jacobson looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Yours was the pure heart who's call I answered," Peorth smiled weakly, "make your wish."  
  
Jacobson didn't even have to think about it as he said, "I wish that the goddess Peorth be completely healed."  
  
Peorth smiled at him gratefully, then her body was suffused with light. She nodded to him regally, once, then she was gone. Megumi and the others watched in awe, before stepping up to help him to his feet.  
  
"Is Quincy really dead?" Fairchild asked.  
  
"I'm not sure I really want to think about it," Jacobson admitted.  
  
  
  
"Looks like all's well that ends well," Priss smiled as she and Urd steadied each other.  
  
"Not quite," Urd looked worriedly over at Mara.  
  
The demoness smiled at Sylia sadly, "I have to go."  
  
"When?" Sylia looked at her in surprise, "Where?"  
  
"Home," Mara answered shortly, "and now."  
  
Belldandy was looking very worried, "You granted a wish for someone without getting anything in exchange."  
  
"The cardinal rule," Mara nodded grimly, "and I just broke it. My bosses are not going to be happy with me."  
  
"Stay here," Linna spoke up, then she looked around and corrected herself, "I mean, back at the 'Doll. We'll protect you."  
  
Mara gave her a smile, "I appreciate the thought, but you have no idea what you'd be taking on." She turned to Sylia, "It's been fun. If I don't come back, don't forget me." She took a few steps, stopped, and quietly said, "I love you."  
  
With that, she simply disappeared.  
  
"Mara!" Sylia cried out tearfully.  
  
To be continued.... 


	21. Chapter Eighteen

Part Eighteen  
  
Sylia paced the upper office in the Silky Doll restlessly, her hair messed and her normally stylish look in disarray as the others sat around the room and watched her. They had fled Genom's tower before the AD Police finally broke in, not wanting to stay and try to explain what had happened in there. She rather regretted leaving Jacobson and his friends back there, but they at least had some kind of official standing.  
  
Sylia closed her eyes, and across her mind's eye she saw Mara smiling at her sadly as she simply disappeared. "I'm going after her," she exclaimed to them suddenly, striding towards the hidden elevator and the hardsuits that waited below.  
  
Urd and Priss exchanged a worried glance, communicating silently. Urd nodded, and Priss spoke up, "We'll back you, boss, but..."  
  
"Does she want you to go after her?" Belldandy asked quietly.  
  
Sylia stopped and turned towards her angrily, "She did what she did to help save us and Peorth. Doesn't your side understand those kind of debts?"  
  
"Don't yell at my big sister," Skuld said dangerously, repeatedly tossing one of her bombs up into the air and catching it..  
  
"Please don't drop it," Nene whimpered.  
  
Linna gently put her hand on Sylia's shoulder, stopping her restless movement for a moment. "If she wants a rescue," a smiling Linna said quietly, "I'll bet Mara finds a way to let us know. She certainly has before."  
  
Sylia sighed softly, slumping a little as she said in a whisper, "I just don't think I can stand this waiting, not knowing what's happening."  
  
"I bet Peorth is doing everything she can for Mara right now," Urd reassured her, trying to sound as optimistic as possible.  
  
Belldandy seemed to weigh her next words carefully, "And we do acknowledge those debts, Sylia Stingray. I will join you, if a rescue is needed."  
  
"Me, too," Linna smiled.  
  
Skuld looked at them all like they all were insane, then sighed loudly. "I'm coming along, too, if only to help my sisters," she grimaced.  
  
The telephone rang, slicing into the silence, and they all hesitated a moment. "I'll get it," Urd stepped up, holding the receiver to her ear. She listened, not speaking, for several moments while she listened to the message.  
  
"What?" Priss finally had to ask.  
  
"She's recieving her judgment right now," was all a pale Urd said.  
Mara stood waiting in a pool of light, not looking up to face those that stood in judgment. 'Reminds me of the setup at Genom,' she thought, a small smile teasing her lips as she remembered accompanying Jacobson for his interview. That had started this whole chain of events, so maybe it was fitting to be in a similar place, not that they had ended it.  
  
"You have violated our greatest law," the voice boomed, "granting a wish without recieving anything in return. How do you plead?"  
  
"Guilty," Mara answered, "but there were extenuating circumstances..."  
  
"Peorth has spoken to us of this," another voice rumbled, "but such a deed can not be allowed to go unpunished."  
  
Several voices conferred softly, and Mara stood, waiting.  
  
"We have decided," the first voice finally boomed out. "Are you prepared to hear out judgment?" it demanded.  
  
"Yes," Mara said quietly. 'I'm sorry, Sylia,' she thought with a sad little smile, 'we would have been so good together.'  
  
Another voice, "Your punishment will be short, merely the span of a human lifetime, to be bound in the form of..."  
Jacobson looked around his cramped office sadly, then he thumped the large cardboard box on top of his desk and began to clean it out. He heard footsteps out in the hallway, and saw Megumi standing at the door.  
  
Megumi sighed, "You didn't have to take full responsibility, you know." She pushed her graying hair back, "We all joined in willingly."  
  
Jacobson shrugged, "It was my decision that started the ball rolling." He paused, and smiled, "Did you read my glowing recommendation?"  
  
Megumi laughed shortly, "From the tone of what you wrote, you'd think we'd all be able to walk on water."  
  
"All right, so I got a bit carried away," Jacobson smiled.  
  
"You might want to stick around here for a few days," Megumi said to him, a mysterious smile on her face.  
  
Jacobson raised his eyebrow, "Why, exactly? I'm certain that our new chief executive will be quite happily kicking me out of here."  
  
"Not necessarily," Fairchild said, walking in beside her. Hitomi lingered in the hall, looking inside hesitantly before he waved her in.  
  
He looked at the three ladies with a frown. "What, exactly, do you all know that I don't?" Jacobson asked.  
  
Hitomi just smirked in reply.  
Sylia looked at Urd in stunned shock. "The judgment's already been carried out?"  
  
"It's nearly instantaneous," Belldandy said softly.  
  
Sylia swayed, nearly looking like she was going to fall over. Linna stepped forward and tugged her towards a couch, "Maybe you should sit down?"  
  
Sylia shrugged off her hand, turning to Urd, "What happened to her?"  
  
"I don't know," Urd said softly, "but I swear I'll find out."  
  
A soft chime rang, indicating someone had come into the store. "I'll go down and tell them you're closed," Nene volunteered.  
  
"No," Sylia murmured softly. She straightened up, wiping a shaking hand across her face as she said, "I need a distraction right now." A sad smile, "If I think about it, I'll break down." Before they could act, she was gone.  
  
Belldandy and Urd exchanged a look, then Belldandy sighed, "I wish there was something more we could do for her."  
  
"All we can do," Priss sighed, "is back her up however we can."  
  
The elevator opened, and Sylia put on her shopkeeper face. The flighty, flirty persona she used to sell her products. She scanned the room, spotting a woman standing by the dresses. She held up one against her body, then another, as if she couldn't decide.  
  
"Those are both lovely," Sylia gushed.  
  
The brown haired woman turned with a grin, "Really, Sylia? I didn't really think they were quite my style."  
  
Sylia gaped at her a moment, frozen. "Mara?" she whispered.  
  
Mara put the dresses back, stepping forward, "I'm sorry I scared you like that."  
  
"Mara!" Sylia threw her arms around her, crying loudly.  
  
Mara held her close, softly saying "I love you."  
  
Sylia's eyelashes glittered with her tears as she laughed, "I love you, too."  
  
A few moment's later and the other Knight Sabers, along with the three goddesses stumbled out of the elevator, having heard the joyful cry.  
  
"How in the world?" Urd demanded. "We heard you had been judged!"  
  
"I was," Mara said, keeping her arms wrapped firmly around Sylia. She smirked, "I received quite the difficult punishment, too."  
  
Sylia looked a bit worried at that, "What punishment?"  
  
"For a human lifetime," Mara sighed dramatically, "I'm trapped as a human."  
  
Belldandy blinked at her in surprise, then she began to laugh. "A poetic judgment, indeed," she chuckled softly.  
  
"Our friend here," Priss nodded to Sylia as she grinned at Mara, "was ready to bust down the gates of hell itself to save you."  
  
Mara looked up at Sylia thoughtfully, "I'm honored." She slid a hand behind Sylia's head, drawing her down into a fierce kiss. Softly she murmured, "When I lost my powers, I also lost my apartment. Do you think I could stay here?"  
  
Sylia smiled, "Oh, I think we can fit you in somewhere, but space is kind of tight. Would you mind bunking up with someone, say, the owner?"  
  
"I think I could bear it," Mara grinned.  
Jacobson, along with all the other employees of Genom, nervously watched the broadcast of the executive board meeting. The new CEO of the company was going to be announced, and rumors were swirling about who it might be.  
  
There was a disturbance, and two figures strode up the length of the table. The man looked strangely familiar, a pleasant faced, steely gray haired figure, and the woman beside him was simply beautiful. They both exuded confidence as they stood at the head of the table.  
  
The woman tipped the microphone up with a smile, "I'm Chihiro Fujimi, and this is my husband, Keichii Morisato. We represent Whirlwind engineering."  
  
"Morisato?" Jacobson blurted, looking at the screen. 'Isn't that Megumi's last name?'  
  
Keichii smiled, taking up the mic. in what was obviously planned move, "And on behalf of Whirlwind, we're here to announce that as majority shareholders, we're taking over Genom." He paused, "You know that by reputation Whirlwind have always been straight shooters." A grim smile, "There's going to be some changes around here."  
  
The End. 


	22. Tokyo Goddesses and Final Notes

Bubblegum Crisis/Oh My Goddess: A Goddess comes to Call Tokyo Goddesses...  
  
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Sylia murmured, straightening out her skirt nervously.  
  
Mara grinned, "From what I remember, you were the first one to suggest a celebration."  
  
"Oh, yeah," Sylia muttered. She reached out to take Mara's hand, and felt a bit of relief to have her squeeze her fingers gently.  
  
Linna walked closely to Belldandy, holding her near. "I'm glad we all made it through everything all right," she said softly.  
  
Belldandy kissed Linna on the cheek gently, "And I'm glad that I'm here with you."  
  
Skuld made a face, "Why did you drag me along?"  
  
Urd laughed, "Because Nene doesn't trust leaving you back at the 'Doll all alone with Mackie."  
  
"That's not true," a red faced Nene protested.  
  
"Oh really?" Priss asked pointedly.  
  
Nene's face went red, and she didn't answer.  
  
"Nice to see you back," Bones smiled, pushing the door open for them. The dark haired woman took a moment to admire the ladies going by, until she met Linna's pointed gaze. Bones looked away, whistling innocently.  
  
Hitomi looked cute in her school girl outfit as she cheerfully greeted the three couples, then she looked curiously at Nene and Skuld following them in. "Friends of yours?" she asked Priss.  
  
"They're both older than they look," Priss said dryly.  
  
"Oh, like Washu," Hitomi smiled.  
  
"She's here tonight?" Sylia raised her eyebrows. She had talked to the little scientist before, quickly concluding that she was erratic, but interesting.  
  
"Washu and her girlfriend Yume," Hitomi confirmed.  
  
"Double trouble," Urd grinned.  
  
They forged their way to the crowded bar, and a round of drinks was ordered. And a can of soda was picked up for Skuld.  
  
"Rats," the young goddess complained. "I'm older than Linna, Priss and Sylia combined," Skuld griped, "so why can't I drink?"  
  
"Because you look like an elementary student, tops," Ryouko said to her dryly, but Skuld just pouted cutely.  
  
Priss led them over to a table by the karaoke stage, then she excused herself. "Where's she going?" Linna asked Urd.  
  
"Wait and see," Urd grinned.  
  
Belldandy noticed Sylia and Mara slip away, walking over to a dark haired woman standing by the base of the stairway. Money was exchanged for a key, and the two ladies headed upstairs together.  
  
Priss walked over to a table, where a black haired and blue haired women were cuddling together. "Hey Rei, Ami," Priss smiled.  
  
"Priss," Rei smiled, looking around curiously, "did you bring your girlfriend?"  
  
"That's part of why I'm here," she grinned, and bent over to whisper to the two ladies.  
  
"Sounds like fun," Ami smiled, "I'll go get Minako."  
  
A few minutes later and a grinning Priss Asagiri was up on stage, belting out the tune in the original Japanese with her friends Minako Aino and Rei Hino providing a professional backup. Arisugawa Juri took a moment to translate the words mentally and smirked.  
  
"Hey, how are you Romeo-sama? People say that you're old fashioned,"  
  
Urd laughed, dancing in front of the stage in a skintight bodysuit that left very little to the imagination. She and the younger Priss made one hell of a pair, two wild women who were out to have fun and kick some butt.  
  
Linna, still looking like some kind of office lady despite her party clothes, was getting mildly buzzed sitting on a couch with her lady love, Belldandy. Juri couldn't believe that Belldandy and Urd were sisters, their personalities were just so totally different.  
  
Skuld was sitting there with Washu and Yume, and Juri didn't want to think about what the precocious young lady was picking up from the two of them. Still, she was cute, and both ladies had given Juri her word that they'd stay out of trouble.  
  
Juri looked around, frowning slightly. She walked over to Linna and quietly asked, "Where are Mara and Sylia?"  
  
"I think they rented a room upstairs," Belldandy smiled, even as Linna blushed faintly.  
  
"Should have known," Juri muttered, receiving a quiet laugh.  
  
Priss grinned at Urd, belting out the next bit, "Logic can't make us understand, you know, the things that our hearts want to have,"  
  
Fairchild raised her eyebrows, noticing the Goddesses mixing with the crowds. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked the older woman dancing with her quietly.  
  
Megumi nodded slightly, "Looks like it." She smiled suddenly as she gently reminded her lover, "I'm just glad that we don't need to do anything about it."  
  
Fairchild laughed softly, "I forgot." She relaxed in Megumi's arms, the two swaying gently, "What's it like having your big brother running the company?"  
  
A soft laugh, "Same as before, really. He's a straight shooter, so there's no favoritism involved." Megumi looked thoughtful, "But he's honest and honorable, so he and Chihiro should be good for Genom."  
  
Linna sat on the couch, Belldandy snuggled to her side. She had been a bit surprised at how good a dancer Bell was, and now she was just trying to catch her breath. Linna took her hand gently, and matching rings gleamed on their fingers.  
  
"I can't wait to marry you," Linna whispered to her softly.  
  
Belldandy smiled, "I think we're already married, really." She paused and sounded quite pleased, "But if you want to, I'd be honored."  
  
"I know a miko who performs commitment ceremonies," Linna chuckled, nodding to where Rei Hino was standing with a few of her friends.  
  
"Ooh, commitment," Belldandy laughed. Her eyes twinkled, "The one thing a butch fears."  
  
Linna stuck her tongue out, laughing.  
  
Mara and Sylia rested upstairs, sweat cooling on their bodies. "Was it as good as you hoped?" Sylia asked Mara with a impish smile.  
  
"No," Mara sighed softly. Sylia looked worried, and Mara grinned suddenly, "It was better."  
  
"Why, you," Sylia slapped her arm, laughing.  
  
Mara rested her head on Sylia's shoulder, holding her close, "You have no idea how tempted I was, when we first slept together."  
  
Sylia chuckled softly, "I had to have a cold shower, once I started getting over the hangover."  
  
"Sorry I had to steal our first kiss," Mara sighed. She smiled at her wickedly, "But I certainly enjoyed it."  
  
"Did you loose much, becoming human?' Sylia asked her quietly.  
  
Mara looked quite serious as she said "Whatever I've lost, it was worth it to be with you." A smile, "I love you, Sylia Stingray."  
  
"And I love you, Mara," Sylia smiled, the two cuddling together.  
  
Nene bodily dragged a green faced Hyatt up to the bar. "She just collapsed," Nene gasped. Hyatt gave them all a weak smile and a wave.  
  
"She does that all the time," Keiko said casually. The boy's uniform she wore caught Nene's eye, and the girl gulped visibly.  
  
"She's taken," Sasami said gently, and Nene blushed.  
  
"I'm not, I mean, I..." Nene shook her head, her cheeks red. "This place is nuts," Nene murmured as she walked away, then she added, "must be why Priss likes it so much."  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
This story is set in my bar x-over series, Arisugawa's Locket, and features many characters from that series. I've had the Goddess Comes to Call cast appear there before, so most of the characters know their way around. A small piece of this chapter appeared in Arisugawa's Locket, under the title of "Tokyo Goddesses."  
  
This story will probably be continued in a later episode of the 'Locket.  
  
The Staff of Arisugawa's Locket: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.  
  
Other Characters: Rei Hino, Minako Aino and Ami Mizuno are from Sailor Moon, and Washu and Yume are from Tenchi Muyo.  
  
Bubblegum Crisis/ Oh My Goddess: A Goddess comes to call  
  
Author's Notes: This started as a post over on the BGC Post 2040 Yahoo Group. I did a cute little thing with the three goddesses interacting with the BGC cast, and after that, I intended to forget about it. But for some reason, the idea stuck in my head.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************  
  
Thank goddess for that!  
  
Belldandy pops up. "You called?"  
  
Linna sweatdrops.  
  
Urd, in the next room, is putting the moves on Sylia, who doesn't seem to mind much. Skuld and Mackie are discussing electronics while Nene fumes in the background.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******************  
  
Why do all three goddesses appear so fast? Well, I like them, and they are going to be one of the primary sources of comedy in this fic, with Linna and friends as the straight men.  
  
When is it set? After the 2040 series, but I'll be playing fast and loose with that (my knowledge of either the original or 2040 isn't encyclopedic).  
  
Why is Urd bisexual? From reading the manga, and her interactions with Mara, I figure it's likely.  
  
Why put Belldandy and Linna together? If I had to pick a short descriptive phrase for both of them, it would be 'really nice kids'. So why not...  
  
And why Priss and Urd? Priss is cool, controlled, the initiator in a relationship and probably leads when she dances. Urd is brassy, forward, and loves a challenge. Lets the games begin! 


End file.
